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Good morning!
>>darn! location is do-able but timing is off, i’ll be going earlier in the summer.
i do have mid July on my calendar for Argus tho (hope that trip is still happening?)>>Bummer about the midwest but the July trip to Argus is still on! I don’t know what the topics will be, but I know we will be there 🙂
>>after next week’s final live class, how long will we have to submit video?
May 20th is the last day for videos.
>>After that we will keep practicing on our own and will be back for MP3! I am having so much fun training in these classes.
I am so glad you are having fun!!! Yay!!! And the MP3 registration should be posted next week 🙂
>>Leo is my second agility dog, my first BC was a puppy 10 years ago, and in retrospect she was asked to learn how to jump and organize herself at the same time we were both learning handling maneuvers, and there were many years of frustration involved. I’m so glad to be breaking it all down into smaller pieces this time ’round!>>
Yes, totally agree – it is her generation that taught us that we were doing a lot of things that were frustrating or stressing the dogs. Now we are doing things very differently with Leo’s generation and listening to him and his cohorts, to make sure they are happy and having a great time while learning 🙂
Tracy
Hi! No worries about the instant focus object, you don’t need it near the ring. The engagement games are more important 🙂 send updates about how it all goes!
TracyHi!
>>Thank you for the footage of HSM! She does look worried by the faux ring gating for sure. While I see she’s able to do the cookie free spins, how do you decide how long to work that session before taking the leash off and then going for the remote reinforcer?>>
I figured folks would enjoy a realistic looking demo 🙂
I do it several times til either the dog starts offering engagement/ignoring distractions, or til they just can’t… meaning they either don’t offer engagement or are very slow to offer (high latency).
If they are struggling, I might ask for a welcomed volume dial trick and see if they can then offer engagement. Or, I might move further from the distraction.
If I can’t get any engagement, I don’t run the course – just run out for cookies 🙂And also I don’t freak out, it is more about asking my teammate (the dog) a series of questions and if he answers “I can’t” then I either help or I take him out of the situation.
>>I think I tend to panic in situations and either pull back and give up or start to throw the kitchen sink at him.>>
Be chill enough to let him answer your questions one at a time 🙂
Tracy
Good morning!
She did well here! I love practicing this with the baby dogs because I think it translates well to the ring as you saw in her FEO runs:
>> I’m not sure if that is because she thinks we are playing the stay game or if she truly just wants to get on with it. Maybe a combo of both!>>
Probably both. She might recognize the context and is predicting how to get the game started, in a VERY good way 🙂
On the video: Not a lot of very specific feedback for you here. She seemed to have no questions about the process: leash on, leash off, trick, line up, all good! She was in complete focus mode even with a whole lotta reinforcement behind her.
My feedback is this: take it on the road 🙂 And add some Kryptonite at home (ghost chickens! I know it is the chicken gate and ghost people, but I like the idea of ghost chickens a lot too haha). Adding distractions in new environments like the training field, or adding that kryptonite at home will help solidify this toolbox.
My guess is that her order of festivities will end up being something like: tricks, then engaged chill, then a couple of tricks right before she goes into the ring… then all business from the ring entry to the start line like you were practicing on some of the reps here: to the line, leash off, line up, you lead out. We can always mix it up as her career develops but that seems to be something that works beautifully for both of you 🙂
>> I did include the clipping the leash and getting a treat again for the end of the agility run.>>
That is great, because we want her to understand that she cannot stay in the ring when her turn is over and getting the leash back on is a good thing!
>>I’ve have also been playing the pattern game of cookie with her as soon as we go out the door to train. She’s very excited about training of course and had got into a habit of going into overarousal right away.>>
Wow! Ghost people! Yes, definitely smart to work the pattern games for this to eliminate the rehearsal of chasing ghost chickens haha and to moderate the arousal. And you can also use this for the instant focus game (I would have her on leash for it so she cannot run the fence).
>>It’s probably a great rehearsal for the ring too, because more than likely she will exhibit that same overaraousal lol!>>
It is DEFINITELY a great rehearsal for the ring. I don’t know if she will exhibit the same arousal level because you have set a completely different reinforcement history in the ring, but you are smart to recognize it as something to change that will help at home and in the ring.
Great job!!!
TracyYes, 8″ was good! I think the angled bars threw her for a loop – the distances were the same as the straight grid but the angles make it look so different that she was like WHAT THE HECK hahaha
Hi!
This is going well!! Yes, part of the challenge with this game is sorting out what the dogs need in terms of timing 🙂 You can put out cones or markers along the sides to help get a visual of his location, relative to your timing.
He is doing really well with the transition from extension to collection! Yay! So as you sort out the timing, use your wrap verbals – I think part of his questions early on was about you being silent at :16 and :24, for example. He was well on his way to committing but second guessed himself because things were so quiet 🙂
At :31, he was correct to go to the backside (and considered it at :37), good job rewarding him – there was too much motion towards the center of the bar in your running line. You can change the position of the start wing (putting it more in line with the wrap wing) so it is easier for you to run straight while also staying along the outer edge of the wrap wing.
You were really getting the timing going – the last several reps have the commitment and the nice turns!! I think 1:10 and 1:14 were my favorite timing reps for him, and 1:25 and 1:34 were good but a little late for his needs.
And on this game, you can also send to the start wing so you are ahead of him for the transitions – it makes it easier to see where he is LOL!!
>>. I’m planning to take Leo and visit family near Chicago/Wisconsin/Michigan this summer; do you have any workshops planned in that part of the country?>>
FUN!!!! I will be in Quad Cities (the intersection of Iowa and Illinois) in mid-August – it is maybe 3 hours from Chicago? Let me know if that is in the general vicinity and I will get the host’s contact info to you – I would love to see you and Leo!!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Totally agree that he is doing OK here LOL! He was great here, hitting a home run on the very first rep!! Then after an easy tunnel rep and more speed… he nailed it again.
And he nailed it again when you added the race tracks! At 1:02, when you deceled for the wrap of the wing, you turned away from the wing too soon and it pulled him off of the line.
And nailed it each time.That is wildly unusual with young dogs, usually we see them blast off to the straight line tunnel at least once LOL!! He was able to read all the cues, and you did a lovely job keeping your feet straight towards the tunnel entry you wanted and not rotating towards him. He seemed to understand to put himself into the tunnel, and did not seem to be waiting for additional cues or help. SUPER!
You were staying in motion but not moving fast yet, so now you can start to add more speed. On the last one at 1:42, he looked at you like. “I GOT THIS, YOU CAN RUN MORE” LOL!! So you can go to a jog now – keep everything else the same. And if he is fine with that, you can go to a slow run and we will keep building it up from there.
Great job! And I am sure the horses are happy to keep providing distractions 🙂
TracyGood morning!
Yes, she was great with the baby level so moving to the advanced level was good!!.
Looking at the straight line grid, 2 ideas for you:
– she is getting bigger and bigger in her stride (this is GOOD!!) so give her one more foot on the distance between jumps. I feel like we have been looking for that sweet spot for distance and it is slightly different each time, as her skills build up. When last we saw her do a jumping game, the distance was a 4.5″ feet and she looked good. But in this grid, it looks too short 🙂 because she is scrunching herself up, so you can try it at 5 feet or 5.5 feet so she can extend.– she did well with the stationary reward as a target. So now, you can go to slowly dragging the toy 🙂 That will continue to get her head down and nice form, with great balance. Start with the toy where you had it here in this session (pretty far from the 3rd jump) and when you release her, drag it forward as you walk forward.
She clearly thought the angles bars were a big challenge – either leaping 2 and 3 together, or sitting back and not releasing with power. She was getting the idea by the last 2 reps and was more confident, you did a great job building up her confidence on that! You can give her a little more distance here too, and back chain it (starting her between jumps 2 and 3, then between 1 and 2) like you did with the straight line of jumps.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>> Suddenly left turns look better. Hmmm.
Ha! She likes to keep ups guessing LOL! I think it is entirely possible that she was looking at somethin out there on the right wraps – she was not in a hurry back to you after landing, and her head was pointingaway towards something.
I think this session went SUPER well. And yes, th eleft wraps looked lovely – you did a great job cuing them and she was driving riht back to you (nothing to look at on that side LOL!) You were a shade early with the rotation on the first rep but you were great with all of the rest. And she is reading the wraps really well: shifting to the wrap wing side of the bar, collecting, turning her head, etc.
When switching to the right wraps, move the cones a little further away so you have room to run – the pressure of the cones were pushing you in too much towards the bar at :26 and on the reps after that – and it might have been contributing to her rounder lines on that side? That way you can stay outside the wing and face forward a bit longer like you did on the left wraps, rather than pushing in towards the bar. But I really think she was looking at something on those right wraps, so you can flip the setup next time and see how she does!
Great job here!!
TracyGood morning!
Glad you had a moment of good weather!!
On the jump grids – they are overall looking really good! Definitely watch her stay behavior, as it is changing her jumping on these (because there is no time to recover from a weight shift forward or a broken stay). The set point looks good except for the 2nd rep where she was a little forward before the release – she had to rock back and it got her a little off balance.
For the striding grid – she is better when she is closer to jump 1, in terms of balance through the shorter distances on the first couple of jumps (like when she is closer on the last rep)/ When she is further away, she is shorter on her landings, meaning her front feet land close to the bar. I prefer the European style of starting the dogs really close for her, as opposed to the American style of further back. And double check her stay before each release – she stood up and shifted forward on the 2nd to last rep and it changed her jumping arc.
The circle grid was definitely hard, the distances were really awkward for her. I am not up to date with how Susan Salo uses this grid but you might want to shorten the distances so she is in collection a bit more for now. Has she done bending grids? More of those might help smooth this one out. I build up to these type of grids from the minny pinny games, which go from bouncing to striding.
For the tunnel threadles – yes, definitely keep moving towards the tunnel entry you want but also – that refresher where you broke it down to just the tunnel was very helpful 🙂 It has been a while since we have asked for that skill, and all of the games like this so far have been all about the tunnel in front of her. So for the next session, start with the tunnel threadle warm up to pump up the skill – be certain to NOT turn your feet towards her though (like you did on some of the successful reps, like the last rep), keep you feet facing and moving towards the threadle entry of the tunnel, like at :24, even if it is just at a walk for now.
And also, as you add the wings, you can use your wing verbal to help her know what is next. The left/right soft turn verbals can predict the regular tunnel entry, and a wrap verbal on the wing can predict the threadle is coming in this scenario. So as you cue the wrap, wait for her to respond (while you keep moving towards the correct tunnel entry) and when she exits the wrap with focus towards you – then you can add the threadle verbal/arm. That will help her realize that sometimes it is NOT the tunnel in front of her 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi there!
These are indeed lovely courses… for NFC 🙂 LOL!
Eyes on the long term goals will help you resist the temptation to Q (and prepare yourself for the peer pressure of other people wanting to know why you are not trying for the almighty Q).Your plans look good – and remember to change the course or handling plan if she needs help. We are going for engagement on the start line, so if she can offer it… start the run.
I expect the dog to be able to do 50% less in trials than they can in training… and I am happy to accept that! If they give more than that? Cool! But I am prepared to help the dog as much as they need 🙂
Keep me posted!
TracyHi!
>> We’ve got a 2 day fun match this weekend at the facility where he’s been doing some classes. I entered him both days knowing it will be a perfect next step.>>
Perfect!!! Fun matches are great!!
>>Just different enough from what he’s done there already between classes, attending shows to watch and playing in the ring during walk thrus a few months ago.>>
This is fabulous, because it adds just one small slice of the trial environment in a place he is already comfortable.
>>My plan is lots of really easy baby behaviors and no pressure, all fun. Not planning to do any actual courses, no long sequences and no difficult obstacles. >>
Right! I mean it is a fun match, there is nothing to be gained by making it too hard. Better to keep it really easy and bask in the glory of it all 🙂
>>>I’ll be sitting myself down for a serious talking to trying to ensure I don’t get excited and start to ask for too much. The struggle is real. 🤣>>
This is true!!! And when you sit yourself down, talk to yourself about handling the pressure from other people. They are going to see him and ask when you are going to do it ‘for real’ and why don’t you just run the whole thing and so on. The peer pressure is REAL! At a trial recently, I was doing lots of FEO runs and the judge called me a chicken as I entered the ring because I was not running “for real”. He was joking, sorta, but still – eyes on the long range goal help comments like that roll off 🙂
>>And, we’ll be seeing you up at Argus for camp in August/September. >>
YAY! I am excited!!!! That is such a fun camp!
Tracy
Good morning!
>> Oh, I thought that was the purpose of the no cookie pattern for waiting in line. Yes, he struggles being that close in line to other dogs and so close to the ring. Poor thing, he goes cold turkey with no food from the crate area all the way thru his run >>
Oops, I didn’t clarify it enough, sorry! The cookie-free pattern game is for moving between the ring gate and the start line, a pretty short stretch 🙂 Waiting in line can be FOREVER (in dog years) so I don’t want the dogs to be cold turkey in that time. It is kind of like boiling water – we want him to be close to boiling when he enters the ring. If he waits too long without anything to help, his ‘temperature’ will drop and he won’t be boiling anymore.
So waiting further away so you can still have some cookies helps, and the engaged chill TOTALLY helps! Will NADAC allow a mat or cot in the 10 feet from the ring? It is a good engaged chill spot as he is learning to chill without it.
>> Plus, I do double runs so it’s back to back with no time in between.
It there enough time to reward him, and ‘reheat’ him? Double runs are HARD, and even harder without enough time to reward (or to let the lactic acid dissipate in his muscles and let him catch his breath.
>>>Fortunately, the NADAC trials are small and Intro does not have many dogs so I barely have time to get him to the line after I walk.
This is definitely a challenge for small dog handlers! When my smalls are up first, I warm them up physically (potty and muscles) before the walk through, then I leave the walk through halfway through so I can get the proper mental warm up for the dog before the run. It is a little stinky for learning the course quickly, but good for my mental game to be prepared for the walk through!
>>I had tried picking him up which he does not like and facing away from the ring but his head was on a swivel. So I tried to hide him behind the wing fences in line and crouch down to give him a massage which was better. I hid behind a trash can at USDAA as they were not as strict on line up. He should be much happier with the new tools.>>
Oh yes! And the tools are legal in all venues – just a little further away from the ring in NADAC then getting through those last 10 feet pretty quickly.
>>Yes, I still plan to go on Saturday. I’ve never been to this place or run UKI so it will also give me a chance to watch. Unfortunately this week end will be quite hot for him as it will be in low 80s so that does affect his energy. Plus it sounds like it’s an open field with grass instead of a covered arena.
Yay for getting there early! And yes, the forecast is HOT!!!! So it will be a little harder – you can change your plan to make short, fast, fun blasts of energy.
On the video:
He was perfection! I love your setup with the gate, the chair, the jump… and he TOTALLY knew where the reward station was because he went around the other side of the gate to get to it when cued LOL!!
Looking at his focus and engagement – nice tricks outside the ring for the last cookies, and he was offering lovely engagement going into the ring. I love how he was offering a paw shake when you went to take the leash off.
Since you mentioned where the cookie-free pattern games would go – you entered the ring at :28 here. If he needed any help with the environment (if he appeared stressed or distracted) you would add the cookie-free pattern games as you stepped into the ring and headed to the line.
This is the behavior we want at trials, so now we begin to bring it into the trial environment. The FEO/NFC runs will totally help bridge the gap! And he will give us feedback this weekend about what he needs. Fingers crossed someone can videotape you, or you can also bring a tripod! Dogs generally are not as strong at trials as they are at home, so I generally expect them to be about 50% as good as they are at home. Either way, it will be great to see what he does and fingers crossed for good weather!!
Tracy
Good morning!
>I know she has to process them, but they aren’t deflating like someone yelling or sounding angry. If anyone gets mad at their dog around her, I know I will have a hard time helping her recover.
Interesting! But relatable… I get stressed by that too! Since it is hard to split that stressor or present it in small bits with live people, maybe we can find a TV show or YouTube link with loud voices or angry voices? That can allow you to introduce it at a low volume, literally, and control the Kryptonite level as you play the games.
>>>The click of the magnetic or spring loaded gates bothers her because one bumped her in the rear once and now they all bite. I’m just being a brat and leaving them open for someone else to close if it bothers them. My dog isn’t leaving the ring, so I am not worried about it.>>
Ha! You are not a brat at all 🙂 I do the same thing (maybe we are both brats? And people LOVE their closed gates – I have trouble with people leaving the gates alone in UKI and USDAA, where there are NO rules about gates. My favorite trial location? Zero ring gating at all 🙂
>>It can be a bridge if she is luke warm or better. If she is unhappy, she won’t play at all. So, if I take her in the ring and get her to do a few jumps and her demeanor is improving with each obstacle, the ball is a great reward. It is the whole thing of what to do on the start-line when the wheels are coming off the bus for whatever reason. When her tank is used up, it obviously takes a lot less for her to unravel than when she isn’t depleted.>>
I think getting some of those noises playing in the background and playing ball is a start, to at least strengthen it as a bridge. And on the start line, she might very well be one of the dogs that need to get off the start line as quickly as possible when you sense the wheels coming off – could be no stay and and immediate release, or holding her by the collar for a ready-set-go release (if she likes those) or a tiny short lead out with a volume dial-style lead out (more on that coming on Monday :))
>>I have always known that tight turns or technical starts are demotivating for her. So, we have a premier jumpers course on the field that I ran in Las Cruces a few weeks ago. Handler motion is minimal, which we know isn’t a good motivator for Tango.
Ugh, so true, and totally relatable!!!
>>>The obstacle spread is great with 21 or more feet between obstacles and the opening is two jumps that they have to slice to a right turn into a 20′ tunnel. Tango didn’t like it at the show and doesn’t like it here.
It is great news that she does NOT like it at home too, because it provides an excellent training opportunity!
>>The reason I bring that up, is that maybe I can use an FEO run to build value for an opening that turns back to the front of the ring and is more technical. With the reward station right outside the ring, we could do the normally demotivating thing and run for the exit and the cookies.>>
Yes – but after she is happier in general in the ring, rather than presenting her right away with things that are already not happy-making (<——- scientific term :)) So first step is make the ring super fun even with the harder distractions, then go to the poopy openings. And while you are doing that, work the poopy openings at home so she loves them a lot more. For me, the trialing should always lag behind the training. She is happy in the ring in general in training, so now we get the happy in the ring at trials. She is not yet fully happy at home with the poopy openings, so we get that first at home, then bring it to trials. >>UKI around here is hard. There was one on artificial turf outside, which is always a crap shoot around here as to whether the surface is too hot or too slippery. Everything else so far has been in NM. There will be one in Flagstaff, but am not sure about that one.>>
That is a bummer, it is an enjoyable venue both for FEO runs and for titling purposes. NM and Flagstaff are pretty far! It is an easy, inexpensive venue to host with good profits, if anyone wants to host one!
>>The USDAA runs are $14, so very affordable and if I work the shows some I can also defray the cost with doggie dollars. Next weekends judge is Megan Shepter who no one seems to know much about. I will ask her if I can throw the toy to Tango on my way out of the ring. Tango will bring it back either way, so I am not worried about her running off with it.>>
I haven’t heard of Megan Shepter! Fingers crossed for a wonderful experience!
>>As for reward games, spins don’t qualify in her book. Hitting my hand with her feet might. She was liking that this morning. I will see if I can watch to figure out what is motivating in happy kryptonite situations.
She definitely likes all the footsie games – shaping, smacking your hand, etc. That is good! Maybe she can smack/pounce on your foot? Those seem to consistently be her favorite.
Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>Ok she’s been a lefty…..in the rear crosses, she was a righty.
She just likes to keep us guessing hahaha!
The session on the video looks great!
Nice blinds at the beginning! I think she really likes the action of the blinds and your connection looked great. She did really well on all the blinds!
>>she thinks they’re dumb if I just start her. If I get her revved up and play before, she was a lot quicker as I did after the 1st one earlier in the day.
That is a definite possibility! So keep playing before each one, rather than start cold. Also, connection plays a role in it – when you are more connected, she is wicked fast!
For example, the big race track at :35 looked awesome! and so did the other race tracks when you were trying to connect the whole time (this is NOT an easy thing to do!)I think you were more connected with her on your right, where she was crazy fast. She was also speedy on the left turn race tracks – you were not as connected on that side so she slows down when she doesn’t see the connection like at 1:42 and 2:17 – and is fast when she sees the connection
At 2:11, you can see her looking up at you on the left turn race track, slowing down a bit – in that moment you were looking ahead, which is a disconnection for a baby dog.
And when she is really running hard? You are looking at her while running.
But even the ‘slow’ moments have gotten a whole lot faster. Great job here!! Keep connecting and playing with her beforehand, and she will get even faster!
Tracy
