[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie

Here’s where we are at with the play settle play protocol

It’s going to be with food play for this course. I have his toy drive building, but we are not close to 1 to 2 minutes of tugging yet – going to avoid turning tugging into a chore right now.

[Tom Toomla]

Snuffle mat – I used Ziwi Peaks – dehydrated lamb bits

Super Bowls – I used grilled pork

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie

Used the snuffle mat and played some Superbowls at my Monday night agility class. A bit of disconnect inthe sniffing when the Instructor started talking to me and the Superbowls got a bit messy at the end – just waited him out when he got distracted by the smells in the sand
We were about 15 feet away from the ring while other dogs were running

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie

Here’s where our outside Superbowls is at. Going well I think?

Also have some shadow handling here. My focus is going to have to be keeping his feet on the ground – yes?

[Tom Toomla]

Not sure his 1 2 3 game skills are ready to start using ringside yet. I’ll keep building value for it before starting to use it

I do use a snuffle mat with him, in his crate to help him relax while waiting. I also use stuffed kings and licking mats. Seem to get the best results / relation from the licking mats. Should I think about starting to use these outside of the crate?

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie

This video is from this morning and shows where we are at with Super Bowls and Find My Face – hopefully I’ve got it right now.

I’ll work on getting you some waiting and ring entry video – probably will not be until Monday of next week

With regards to your question about what treats I was using – for the video you questioned it was just his kibble. For today’s video it was meatballs for the super bowls and Charlie Bears for the Find My Face. With this boy, I have not really found any food treat that has higher value than anything else – all food to him is super!!

Regarding Control Unleashed – yes I’m familiar witht he 1 2 3 pattern. Not using it much yey. but am working on back chaining the value for the word 3 – hearing 3 makes a cookie show up. Also work on some 2 step patterns with him. Primarily use the up and down pattern with him with some LAT built into it.

[Tom Toomla]

Bobbie, yes, I will stay as a working student if that’s OK with you. I do value your input. Tracy may have pulled me out already, but I’ll work that out with her.

In my last post, the one with the relaxation video, I gave you a description of how I handled him at the last seminar we attended. Can you reread and just let me know if I’m on the right track or not.

Yes, we have several Lotus balls – it’s the primary reward / food delivery I use with Coal.

This video is where we are at with find my face and super bowls. I do like the CU protocols and do use the Up and Down game with some Look at That built into it while we are waiting ringside.

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie

I’m sure you’re incredibly busy with your projects and new puppy. That said, having to wait 3 days for input on my posts is not what I signed up for when I took a working spot. It’s making me frustrated and reactive, not a state of mind I enjoy being in. I’m going to reach out to Tracy and ask her to drop me down to Observer and work thru the material on my own

No hard feelings

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Bobbie
Thanks for the detailed response to my last post – some responses to your comments and questions are:

The boys name is Coal not Cole – he’s from Pittsburgh – not a big deal

Reward hierarchy for him is food followed by nothing else right now. He has very little toy drive right now working on building it, but it’s taking time. So our primary right now is either a tossed Lotus ball or cookies from hand

For the seminar – he struggled with his composure outside the ring – new dogs new people same horse venue as you’ve seen in previous videos. I ended up crating him out of my car, bringing him into his crate two dogs before his turn, out of his crate one dog before his turn for some up and down pattern play. Once we got to the line, he would settle in and start to focus. It was like OK now I know where I am and what I need to do. We worked on some skills using 4 to 6 obstacle sequences. Once he was done with his turn, a couple of cookies outside the ring and then out to the car to let him decompress during the next 6 runs. Unfortunately no video to show you.

I don’t throwback for a sit stay reward usually walk back or release him. I do a lot of one jump call to hand at the opening of a turn for him just to gauge where his head is at and to get a quick reward into him.

You’re not the first who’s told me to display more enthusiasm – I’ll have to work on breaking out of my quiet “Gary Cooper” personality

Yes,I’ve put a lot of work into building value for between my legs as a safe place for him. I can probably use this as a setup for his start line and work on getting rid of the leash pressure.

The attached video is of the relaxation protocol work we did this morning. I’m not sure if he’s relaxing or just quietly waiting for the next delivery. We work this once or twice a day, I do occasionally get him putting his head down. This session was first thing in the AM so asking him to relax after having just gotten up from an 8 hour sleep may have not been the best timing.

I have a ring rental this Friday AM – we will be by ourself. Anything I can show you to help to process?

[Tom Toomla]

Assignment #2

Video #1 – the stressor / distraction here was the other dog running in the adjoining ring. Coals reaction was lets go check it out. To my eye, his recovery was fairly quick

Videos # 2 and 3 – this was a seminar we attended this morning. Coals stressors here were the presenter, the other seminar attendees and their dogs and the presenters 3 dogs, two of whom were crated within the ring. His reaction again was lets go check it out. Again, to my eye his recovery from checking out seems fairly quick,he comes back and is ready to go back to work Given his choice, he would be doing fly ball turns off the chests of new people, not the most endearing of choices. He does calm down as things become familiar, can you see this from video 2 to video 3?

If I set up a controlled approach to new people, all goes well – sit and treat at 6 feet, move to 4 feet, move to 2 feet and then tell him to go visit

Crating is tight at this facility, he was not relaxing in his crate. I would put him in the car after his turn and then bring him back into the facility a dog before his turn. If I sit in front of his crate with the door open and mark calm and treatthen all goes well.

Will be in another workshop this Monday at the horse arena – is there anything that you want me to set up to show you? Don’t really want to set up barking at another dog, it’s not something I want to rehearse. Recovery from the barking fit is not a matter of time with him, I believe that distance is the key. Once I can get to a distance that he’s good with he’s then ready to go back to work.

[Tom Toomla]

The video with the collar grab was from back in July, we now can walk back with him by my side, still feeding intermittent cookies. If I think the environment calls for it, I will use a treat magnet on his nose If I’m really concerned about the environment, I’ll just leash him up – no use practicing problems. Would this be safety and security or social support?

The leg weaves are something I want to keep building into our startline routine, gives him a chance to move while checking things out. Would this be predictability?

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there
Here’s our 1st session after having added the bar – changes everything.

Also have a bit of impulse control to strengthen here LOL

When does posting end for this class?

Have a great Thanksgiving

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there
Here’s a bit of work on organization. Not the best platform for this, it has a slick bottom, so he learned right away not to push off hard to prevent it from sliding.

[Tom Toomla]

Good morning
perfect is good, thanks and we’ll work on adding speed

This session, not so perfect, flattened the angle on the 3 jump zig zag setup and he struggled at first, did sort it out though.

Going to get to some arts and crafts today and make him some better platforms so we can work more on his organization skills. Looks to me like the slip in the last video was due to him jumping while he was turning – following reps, he finished the turn and then loaded up to jump

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there

Here’s where we are at with his backside zig zags. This was his 1st attempt at it, went well – yes?

Too much sun on the camera lens – sorry about that, hopefully you can see what you need to see.

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