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Hi!
It is possible that if she went around it, she was reading the backside cue and your line was pushing her to the backside. This is a tricky exercise 🙂 You can warm up her up with multiple Go Go Go lines in a row, then get on the rear cross diagonal and change the placement of the toy. When you do this, don’t worry as much if she nails the rear cross, it is more so you can get more comfortable with the RC diagonal 🙂
TracyHi! This is a GREAT update! It is pretty awesome that you are seeing changes in behavior, even though she is a little older than a puppy LOL and she has a longer history 🙂 I think it is really cool!!!!!
>>Second run on Saturday, she entered the ring happy and we were standing waiting to go when something caught her attention behind her, she looked over her shoulder and her ears went down, head went down and she had a hard time starting.
Yep, probably some noise or something. Do you think she would be able to respond to a cue for a goofy tick in that moment? I have a new game coming tonight that might help too, the cookie-free pattern game. Let me know what you think after you see it!
Tracy
Hi!
>>Yes, I just tossed one cookie and it got him more focused. The distractions of music and people were behind us but he was looking off into the woods and trails.
This is GREAT because it means the pattern games are kicking in!!!
>> Do you have class tonight?
Yes, he has class tonight and next Monday. I did register for UKI trial on 4/24 so that will be the next chance outside of class. I will practice running a small dog tonight, reward jumps and work in all his games. Hopefully more people attend this time.>>Have fun tonight 🙂 And after you see the new games, let me know what you think and we will plan for the UKI on the 24th 🙂
Tracy
Wait, it is now a permanent rule that you can carry the leash in your pocket? What? OK then, let’s get him tugging on his leash! Time to buy a fancy new tugger leash!
>>Reeled him in like a fish, spun in a circle exactly two times and shoved cheese in his face. We were in management at that time
Management shmanagement, you were counterconditioning my shoving charcuterie in his face. SCIENCE!
T
Ha! He is a big personality, laying on the prop LOL!!! Yes, laying on it is fine 🙂 Keep me posted!
TracyThis upcoming calendar sounds good – session with Judy, maybe a trial in May – gives us plenty of time to plan. And yes, you would like life in Virginia! And Annalise can run plenty of my dogs, plus she can run them in flyball too 🙂
T
Hi! Congrats on a great weekend!
>> I must say I’m exhausted because I was at a super high anxiety level all weekend worrying about my red boy.>>
That should give you insight into how the dogs feel, in terms of depletion 🙂 More on that coming tonight.
>>Also why did YT default the thumb nail to me
bending over.>>HA! The YT algo is to find the worst moment and use it. I change them all the time LOL!
>> pre run is super long.>>
As Amy said at one point ni the video: Novice is super slow. And yes – work mor eengaged chill so that you don’t need to be as active and also, so you can watch the ring in case you and Amy are running too close to each other to be tour guides before the run 🙂
The ring vicinity was super active and he did great!
For the run – be sure to practice putting the leash down or tossing it away for when you are no longer allowed to carry it.
he did well on the run but if it is too hard to not fix things in standard… skip running standard for a bit 🙂 I know, I know – it won’t b efor elong. but keep your eyes on the BIG PRIZE of the focus, engagement and speed in the ring. And if you do fix, then don’t just walk back to restart the obstacle – I believe AKC allows a fix-n-go thing where you can run and fling him into the tunnel or something earlier on the line to get more speed 🙂>>Jumpers – I loved his energy here. >>
Woohooo!!!! He is relaxing in the environment and that is great!
>>Weaves- I shouldn’t have called him back but I really thought he was just like wahoooo long line to a tunnel>>
Yes, or keep it in flow – send him over the jump on his line and back to the weaves. Don’t break the flow! And over-connect 🙂 the little bloopers of him not taking the jumps were mainly baby dog disconnection moments – the connection got a little soft in both of those spots, so he didn’t take the jumps. Baby dog connection is pretty intense at first, as they get used to the trial environment.
He totally wanted food post-run, and that is fine 🙂
>>A male BC slammed his ex pen at him as we walked by and he reacted. It wasn’t Fever starting it but it hurt his feelings. Then the other two intact males behind him started barking and lunging too- lots of big dick energy happening.
It took me about 10 seconds of him barking on the end of the leash to redirect him but he was fine.>>Ugh poor Fever! What did you do to redirect him? We can work on things to get him to recover faster when that happens.
>>I’m really glad my whole village pushed me on this one, otherwise I wouldn’t have entered. This was probably one of THE hardest trial environments locally because the ring is so open and has so many visuals. I’m still naturally pessimistic and nervous, but I needed this weekend. Thank you. I am trying to sort out a few more trials before class ends but it’s looking the the last weekend in April or first weekend in May.>>
I am so happy that y’all worked together on this, like a team. That is exactly how flyball works (at least in my region) and so I am trying to encourage agility to work this way more too.
>>Carrie also really injured herself this weekend and still played support for me. I need to send her a fruit basket or something. Amy was also awesome as well as Antje. Before you suggested asking for help to me, I mostly just suffered in silence at trials and it really made quite the difference to just have people in your corner.>>
Yay for Amy and Antje but poor Carrie! Hope she is OK!!!!!! I think she will be happy to accept oysters or drinks 🙂 And yes- it is good to open up an let people in to help. That was HARD for me but oh-so-worth it (and 1000% why my 3 young dogs are enjoying early success in 2 sports – the community support). Not a single one of us got into this to suffer in silence. Let your crew lift you up when things are hard!
>>Really sorry about the long pre run videos. I had the hardest time timing how soon to get him out. I think I got him out 6 dogs early for standard and 7 for jumpers and it still took forever.>>
Novice takes DAYS. And the only think missing is more engaged chill so the exact timing won’t matter. I honestly don’t know how long I need to get my dogs ready, because if I am too early, I’ve got he engaged chill. If I don’t have a lot of time, I reach into the toolbox to pull out the tools to ready them more quickly.
Great job here!! I think end of April/early May is perfect for the next trial.
Tracy
Good morning!
I totally love this game 🙂 I am a big fan of changing the line up if he one we have been using is not working all that well 🙂 And this between the feet line up is also a fun trick!
>> Also I think it will prevent him going wandering/ sniffing and make him feel more secure in a strange environment. So here is a little we did in the side lane and I think you’ll agree he looks very happy with this. i say ‘legs’ he goes to middle and then I take the leash offf.>>
Totally agree! So the next steps on this game are to add the weird thing in front of him (some random thing) and the weird thing behind him (from the Package 2 Line Up games Part 2). And to take it into all sorts of different places 🙂 We will be building on the line up tonight!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Congrats on a great weekend!!!!!!
>>. In this video, when I was asking for the bark, my posture looked a little like personal play and he looked like he was about to spin, so I Immediately went over to the remote reinforcement station. There was no grass eating!>>
Hooray for no grass eating!!! Good for you for making a very smart training decision in-the-moment. You can get yourself to back up as part of the cues, stepping back or leaning back to help draw him to you and to also convince him that it is not personal play, especially as part of the barking on cue.
>>I used the bark on cue during rally league last week before our run. He looked like he was going to bark at the judge, so I cued him to bark. He did and then got right to work. He was not worried at all and got a perfect score!>>
Brilliant! That is an awesome redirection that seemed to accomplish two things: redirects his focus away from the judge and onto you, and changes his arousal state (higher!) so that he could get that perfect score. Congrats!!! Barking at the judge is an anxiety behavior. Barking at you on cue is a trick based in positive reinforcement – two entirely different behaviors 🙂
And I see you used a bit of a “go for a run!” moment in the video – that is GREAT!! I release my dogs into the wild all the time LOL!!! I am not sure if you ever got to meet Export, but he got released to go for a run all the time in his early training, and that created more “want to engage” and less running off. The joy of the running gets transferred quite nicely to the joy of playing with us 🙂
>>Here is our RR+ tricks and our leash off games.
These look good! You can add in more distance from the reward station now. We will be adding more to this in the games coming tonight! He looks ready 🙂 One detail: For the remote reinforcement – make the reward marker very salient by saying it, giving the cookie… then praising like you did at :30. When you are putting the marker in the midst of all of the praise like at :47, it gets lost and also he didn’t seem to love the bending towards or touching when you were praising.
Keep working in the stepping back from him and leaning back during the reward and praise moment, he is not a fan of you leaning in or touching him. Some dogs (most dogs :)) just don’t love to be touched while working and that is perfectly fine. I don’t love to be hugged while working either LOL!! I was teaching a seminar last week and someone stopped in during the middle of it and wanted to give me a hug… I was all like ‘ewwwww not now’. It made me think of Riot and all of the dogs who don’t appreciate the physicality of that type of play when they are in work mode.
>> Can I use the target stick for instant focus? I can put it on a stand so that I am not holding it.
Possibly, but definitely not from your hand. We want you to not have to hold it at all – so if the stand is something that you can put into the environment that is separate from you – then yes, you can totally use it 🙂
>>Where are we going with the IF behavior ultimately? Is it something we will use before running?
it is a concept game – teaching the concept of finding ‘work’ without needing to first assess the environment or first see cookies present. It is a brutally challenging concept! But a critical one: when the dogs enter the trial ring, they have to find ‘work’ and they cannot assess the environment or see cookies. So the prop needs to be something that can be used in different places but it is not something we would need to put into your toolbox before a run.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
Looking at these 3 videos, I don’t think you need to start over – I think the prop needs more value 🙂 Even in the home session (1st video) he was not offering a lot on it – he was tending to offer a little on the prop and offer a lot of looking at you and barking. So then when you took it on the road, the value was not high enough to break through the distractions of the environment. When you had cookies in your hand, that helped him a little but we don’t want to show him cookies to get the focus.
So, to build value – you can use your DVD 🙂 and maybe elevate it, tape it to a big bowl or something so it is very obvious in the environment. Do several more sessions at home to build value to the point that he immediately goes to it and doesn’t look at you as much – and then add some ‘clutter’ to the environment, where he has to find the prop.
When the prop is basically magnetic at home and he draws to it immediately, probably after 3 or 4 more sessions – then take it on the road to a less distracting place than you had here – maybe your driveway to start? And then when he comes out of the car, put it down and see what he does. Getting him to be able to find “work” in new places without seeing the treats in your hands is going to be SUPER useful for his trialing.
Let me know what you think!
TracyOMG that story is SO FUNNY!!! You will look back it at happily some day and remember the panic fondly. I am glad your village set you up with all sorts of good stuff 🙂 I, too, would work for an Egg McMuffin.
And yay for the reality-TV videos LOL! Love it!
The practice jump warm up looked great, she looked pretty relaxed in all that dirt and as the other dog went past her at the end! the pre-run games looked good, and it was so funny hearing everyone freak out LOL!!! At least you know they like you 🙂
Promise was a pro during her run. She came in and acted like she was at home. You set up huge success and I think she had a great time!!!
>>I didn’t get your response before I went into the ring. I did just a little more than wash, rinse, repeat lol! I was like, well Tracy told me I could possibly do a stay lol! She was EXCELLENT. Thankfully, running is just as much as a reward to her as the toy :).>>
As I was writing it, I was thinking that it wouldn’t arrive in time LOL! No worries, thiswas a good plan and she did a great job. Her debut weekend was a big success!!
What is next on her calendar, in terms of training or trials?
Great job!
TracyGood morning!
What a bummer about the run through!
But it looks like you got plenty of training in!The first instant focus video looked great – VERY interesting that you noticed the difference in the behavior, that is good to know that even in your driveway, the environment is challenging. But, he was a super good boy and did the job! Yay!
The upper deck session was also great 🙂 And yes, he did seem snappier with the behavior – my guess is that part of the difference is because the deck is a place where he has trained before, and he associates it with training and cookies 🙂 The driveway? NOT a normal training place hahaha! It is a ‘get in the car’ place, right? So he had to overcome a different association to get right into ‘work’ – and he did. YAY!!!
Ewwww Sleet! When will it truly be springtime!!!
He did well with his engagement when the leash came off. yay! So now you can wait one more heartbeat before reaching for reinforcement: leash off, toss it aside or put it down… then if he is still engaged, the cookie comes out to play 🙂 That will help with the leash being a distraction, especially when the leash runner comes to take it away.
At the park – he hit it the first time REALLY well!! But then yes, he noticed the environment. You can do step 1 instant focus in the park, which is to bring him out of the car and then put the prop down – that can help make the prop more salient and get better success in that very first moment.
The last video was after the pattern game? This is a really nice difference! The park is distracting (I think there was music playing too) and also the park is not really associated with training, which makes this game so challenging!!! He is doing really well, though, great job getting him to new places.
Do you have class tonight? Definitely work the various games pre-run (pattern games, some engaged chill, some volume dial tricks) and set your reward station. Walk into your first run with nothing in your hands, take off the leash, put it down…. and see what he does. If he offers engagement? YEAH! Jackpot!! Woohoo!
And you can keep playing with that, adding in a stay and a lead out, etc.Have fun! Let me know how it goes! Great job here 🙂
TracyGood morning!
>>They are the wrap cues. The left/right cues just feels wrong here because she is doing a lot more than a basic soft/90deg turn overall. It seems to me once it is more a serp line than the left/right would make more sense.>>
Visualize a bar on the jump instead of just the wing there – we are basically sending the dogs to “jump 1” of a serp line, then serping jump 2, so it is not a wrap. I would use the wrap cue it I was threadling the dog to the threadle side of the jump, or doing a FC.
>>Do you decide on whether it is a wrap cue vs left/right verbal based on the turn they make after taking the jump regardless of their approach to the jump? >>
Yes – so on this one, even though we have an angled approach, the dog does not have to come right back around the wing and through the gap, the dog sets up the “L” shaped turn – so it is a left or right for me and not a wrap.
>>Some approach angles tend to make me wonder which verbal is correct to use because sometimes the approach angle is so acute it seems like it should be a wrap verbal even if the exit doesn’t have them crossing the plane of the jump.>>
It all depends on how your personalize it, of course, but the exit element is critical in my definitions: not coming back around the plane of the jump pretty immediately? Then it is not a wrap. If the dog knows how to exit, then they are free to set themselves up with the collection needed to create that exit, regardless of angle of entry.
>> I am not sure about waiting longer to leave the wing to get on the RC line given I felt late at least partly because I was so far behind her already when I was doing the RC in this session.>>
As you move away from the wing, you will be on the RC line immediately, from the very first step – so you won’t be that far behind. You will be further behind if you leave sooner and run towards the ‘go straight’ side of the wing, because there will be more yardage to cover as you then have to come back to the RC line.
Great job with the serp/tunnel game! Very clear positions, very clear verbals, very clear reward markers. Yay! It is a really hard game and she was super successful! She didn’t see to have trouble with the motion at all until you went to running – so as you add running, be sure your upper body is very clear more like how you did it at 1:50 and after that.
Adding threadles to the mix on the next session:
This is going well, it is a super hard game. As you noticed, keep rewarding the stays 🙂 And you can also have your body position fully set before the release – show the physical cue, then 2 seconds later, add the verbal. That will help protect the stay and she will process the cue better. For example, she had an error at :24 when the arm and release came at the same time – doing the arm cue and then the release will help her in the face of the tempting tunnel 🙂And then yes, the threadle line up was too hard for her to also see the serp – dogs (especially BCs) tend to get into threadle vortexes where they threadle ALL THE THINGS after one successful threadle rep. I think that is what happened here 🙂 So changing her position slightly when you want the serp was the right move and will help for now, and eventually she will be able to handle both from whichever position you start her in 🙂
On your threadles – do you plan to turn your feet as part of he cue? If so, carry on 🙂 although I will try to talk you out of foot rotation on threadles. If not – be super careful with the foot work here, try to keep your lower body on the threadles identical to your lower body on the tunnel and serp reps: toes facing straight to the tunnel 🙂
Great job! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
There are plenty of ups and downs in agility training, that is for sure!! I have found that we can avoid those deflating downs by slicing the behavior very thinly, especially when something is not going as planned.So after watching the video here:
>> also Ronin didn’t make the rear cross attempts easy because he was not driving ahead of me to the jump. I fear there is not yet enough value for that jump, especially to drive ahead of me to get it. Should I go back and work on that first?>>
You are correct in tha there is not enough value in driving ahead… because in this session, he didn’t get asked to or rewarded for driving ahead 🙂 Every GO rep had you sending and leaving way ahead on the line, so he was behind you. And that went well, he has plenty of value for that! But then when you wanted him to get ahead of you, he didn’t understand it because it was different than the previous reps – suddenly you were hanging back and waiting.
So, to help solidify the RCs – the most important element is the driving ahead as you noted. You can build it up across a couple of sessions by first revisiting it as toy races, but with the jump out there: starting near where the start wing is, you hold his collar, and throw the toy as far as you can past the jump. Then get him wild, let go, and run run run. He should accelerate ahead of you on that.if he can do that a few times, you can add in the next step (see below) If he doesn’t accelerate ahead? Go to a better reinforcement, something that he really loves! I also suggest if yo uare using food, having this be the first session of the day so he is especially wild for the cookies 🙂
If he is happy to accelerate ahead, toy-race style, you can add the wing wrap before it (it recreates the earlier maxpup combo games where we wrapped a wing or barrel then raced to a toy). Because we eventually want to set up the RC, you will want to stay super close to the wing wrap like you did with the RCs, then accelerate (the toy is still on the landing side of the jump here).
After a couple of sessons where he leaves you in the dust, you will mix in throwing the toy rather than placing it out ahead, so sometimes it is placed and sometimes it is thrown. Throw as soon as you see him looking at the jump.It will take a couple of short, high reward sessions to get the driving ahead going, probably over the course of several days or a week… and then you can throw in a rear cross or two. But after each and every rear cross rep: do at least 2 ‘go straight’ reps to keep that value very high. And you can totally place the toy reward out in the correct spot on the rear cross reps, to help encourage him to take the jump rather than turn before it. And when you do go to throwing the toy on the RC reps, always throw it pretty far past the jump to help encourage him to take it on the RCs too.
So the bulk of the training should be the go go go lines – that is something I suggest for all small dogs 🙂 The smaller the dog, the better the commitment needs to be because they have to take so many more strides to get to the jump! The RCs will be much easier (it will be all about your timing at that point :)) when you add them back in.
Let me know what you think! No worries about creating a slow dog – he is just showing us where his value is, and where he needs more value.
Tracy
