[Tom Toomla]

Yes, Karen is a super coach and competitor and she and you seem to align with the input – who’s got it better than me. She was telling me to just give him the right side of the bar. When I ran the opening with blinds, I led out to the right wing and started the BC as soon as I released him. It worked, but the FC was clearer. The intent was to BC after the tunnel, handler error there.

I’m her coursebuilder, so I’m going to be able to build one of your courses on Mondays

Doing a young dog seminar on Sunday with a Lauren Zimmerman, don’t know a thing about her, but I figure it can’t hurt to work him in a seminar environment. He’s then going in to get neutered on the 1st, so we will be off the radar for a week or two

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy

Built one of the jumpers courses for my Monday class and worked on the opening with the boy. I did 1st try 2 to 3 with a BC, he got it once I got timely with it, but I do think that the FC gives him more info here. Unfortunately, did not get video of the BC’s, did not have the camera set to video.

Like the send to the backend of the tunnel here – worked on teaching him that in the no video session.

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy
Here’s where we are at with his weave training, taught him via 2 x 2 and haven’t taken him past 4 poles yet. Figure I’ll get the work in with the entries and distractions before I increase the pole amount.

He has not seen any props such as the wing or guide wires yet, with what you see here, do you think I should introduce something?

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy
Yes this facility is great, both boys love running on the surface. Unfortunately the two instructors only have access to it on Mondays, so everything has to come in in the AM and go out in the PM

Here’s the 2nd sequence we worked on in our Monday class – the ending after the weaves with a BC to a wrap. Did not go as well as the 1st sequence, the distraction level was amped way up. In hindsight, I should have turned around and set him away from the other ring for starters here

Need to do some work with my timing on the BC’s and on his reading of them, a work in progress, but then again, he’s only been with me for 6 months.

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy

This course should look familiar to you – going to try and build one of your courses for my Monday class

We worked on 5 – 15 on the standard course, concentrating on his contact

Challenging evironment to train in with the two classes running together. wait until you see the next video – LOL

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy

here’s the sequence again. This time I serped the opening instead of a FC and added the tunnel and a wrap at the end.

We also did so weave entry work during this rental, will send that next

[Tom Toomla]

Super detailed review, unfortunately not for my post. And it’s not even Monday LOL

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy – here’s some simple sequence work we did yesterday. It was too hot to do much more. Bad me, left one bar up at 24″ the 2nd time I ran it. Right now, most of our sessions are still about teaching skills, weaves, contacts, wraps and backsides

Should be back at this place on Friday – course setup will be the same if you see anything I should work on.

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy
Here’s 4 reps of some sequencing we did yesterday. This was his first time out on the floor except for a couple of minutes of play tome right before this.

The seesaw was unplanned, but we’ve been working on it a bunch so it’s got super value right now.

Couldhave been a bit better with my WOO for the tunnel – tunnel cue should have been before the jump – yes??

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

Thanks, I’m finding it so much easier to teach him than #1. Might be the dog, or might be that I actually have an idea as to what I want to teach him now.

Everyone’s first agility dog deserves a special place in heaven

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy
Here’s our unedited look at week 1 sequence #4. A couple of oops in here. Rushing I came outside and went right to work, no time for adjusting from house to yard.

Space as always for me is tight, working area is approx 25 x 45, so this is the closest I could come to the course map. I may be better off picking small sequences out of the full courses and working on those.

I do have full ring time available on Mondays, Tuesdays and some Fridays. Courses however are set, and I’m not going to take them apart and rebuild them in an hour rental, so I’ll try and pick parts that seem to fit.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Tom Toomla.

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy, short video of the boys attached

Coal is 1 year old 1/15/21 birthdate
Been looking for a while to adopt a rescue, like the idea of 2nd chances. Found him in a rescue – Speak for the Unspoken, got approved and drove out to Pittsburgh last Wednesday to pick him up
Don’t really know much about his back story, but he’s a real sweet boy and another smart one. He and Cody are getting along just fine, I would say that Cody is the majority initiator in these play sessions. Cody also knows how to say I’ve had enough and Coal seems to respect that.
Working on our life skills and looking forward to you being part of our journey

Tom, Cody and Coal

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy

I agree with you 100% that building our remote reinforcement skills is priority #1. My joy has always been teaching him new things = high ROR and in general, working on his worries and anxieties has = high ROR. Now it’s time to focus on building delayed rewardnfor fluent skills, both food and toy, with the concentration probably on the food. Again, toy play is never a problem when training, but can disappear at trials, probably due to his worries. I have never seen his food drive disappear and do work to protect that, the primary reason that I pay with high value treats.

We have the basics in place I think – per the attached video
– place the reward together
– go do the work
– return to the reward together on cue.
So now to work on building the duration of the work.

I’m also going to keep working on building value for the leash as a toy with the hope of eventually getting it usable at a trial. Got him laying on his leash on his mat now ant then tugging on either the leash or the mat.

Unrelated question – how often do you run Max Pup? Looking to take on a puppy in the spring, should I take on the material now or will there be sessions running in spring?

Thanks

Tom

[Tom Toomla]

So I put a hex on myself talking about timing lights. Our Saturday jumpers run took us thru the timing uprights for the last 3 jumps – after the 2nd time, he said what the F I’m done. It was an adventure getting him to take the 3rd.

We did play some turn back ringside during walk thrus, I did mix it up a bit with some releases forward.

This video is how I use tug play in training sequences. Probably do not use the tug toys enough while training, only because I believe the T ball has better value for him

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Tom Toomla.

[Tom Toomla]

Hey there Tracy
Distractions
– Judge in the ring that he does not know – needs to go check it out
– Ring crew who are friends of his – will go say hello, but usually not until the end of the run
– My wife when she shows up at a trial just before our run, the timing is always impeccable.
– finish obstacle, timers when we have to take it mid run – we’re done Tom where are you going
– other dogs, not a problem at trials, but elesewhere they all have the potential to be his new BFF
– squirrels and cats – super chase drive

Played around a bit with send back to reward, started with a cookie, will work up to a toy

Played a bit with the leash on the mat – a work in progress

[Author]

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