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It’s nice to hear such positive feedback from the instructor 🙂 Thank you! It is easy to overlook progress because I see Zoe everyday. Overall, I think we did achieve our goal. The plan was to get out as soon as she ran fast and we accomplished that. I have been told I am quieter (I am shy and timid) when there are people around, so no doubts that can be unsettling to Zoe (like your story about traveling with someone who is constantly stressed!).
Looking forward to the next lesson!Oh I get it. You want Zoe to run fast regardless of where I am when she is on the dog walk. I am really touched by how much you want to help us. I thought knowing that Zoe runs faster when I’m behind her is a big discovery already and that would be it. Thank you so much!!! Yes, I can do what you suggest.
I wasn’t going to bother you with our fun run video, but I didn’t feel good about it and thought maybe you have some advice for me. During walk thru, I immediately thought the course was hard and no easy straight lines/circles to build up speed. The course builder did point out due to limited space, the course ended up being hard. Also, the crating area felt a tad chaotic and right as we entered the ring, there were a lot of barking and Zoe was visibly distressed/distracted. As you suggested, I tried to do only jumps and tunnels, but again, Zoe decided to go to the teeter. My plan was to get out as soon as she showed some speed. I gave her a jackpot at our reinforcement station after the run, then walked her around the crating area, and fed her each time she looked at me or each time a dog barked. Let me know what you think? What I could have done differently, or how to build on this fun run? And if she is so strongly drawn to the teeter, do you have any idea how to take advantage of that or build on that?
https://youtu.be/zhksJufkQFoThank you!
Me again! Thanks for the kind words, and thank you for telling me to leave with Zoe in an excited state. That really helps. I will do short sequences twice then leave while she is still ‘high’. I will let you know how our fun runs go tomorrow.
Thank you for reminding me why I did agility in the first place! I want Zoe to get enough physical exercises to keep her healthy. Never even thought of competing when we started.I am guessing the mat on the board is to train Zoe for the end behavior on the teeter? I will do that. I must admit I am lazy when it comes to foundation games. Which brings me to the reason of this post. It’s our day off, so just some basic stuff. Here is the opposition reflex, I cut after one try, though we did like 3 or 4 repetitions.
https://youtu.be/4DhfdDfqmQE
Finally, a nice enough day to do the dogwalk exercise. It’s now at 24″ high. I am curious what you are trying to find out from this exercise? I thought she ran faster than what the video shows
https://youtu.be/TepX1m7V8MEI want to add (hopefully doesn’t come across like I’m feeling sorry for myself). 😀 I’ve been told Zoe is not an agility dog, she does not have the legs for agility, etc. I feel like everyone has given up on Zoe when it comes to the teeter. And maybe I don’t know when to quit, but she’s the only fur baby I have, so I persist and will keep trying. And I like to think, when I hear story like you and Pepper, that’s it more than just us not giving up on our babies, but more about how much love we have for them that we don’t want to give up on them 🙂
Thank you Kim. Quick question on the fun run. Do I run 3 to 5 obstacles (hopefully can identify a quick circle) then exit (regardless of how much time we have left) and jackpot? OR, do I run 3 to 5 obstacles, reward, then repeat once or twice before exiting? I am guessing you want me to treat it like a real trial, yes?
On the teeter, I started with this instructor on an adjustable teeter, but I think he raised the teeter too soon and when the teeter was at full height, he tipped the teeter whenever Zoe stopped by the pivot point. I noticed it increased her fear instead of helping – she stopped earlier and earlier so I stopped doing that. The second instructor I had, suggested holding the teeter until Zoe reached the top then slowly lowering it. The idea is for her to run to the end so the teeter would go down faster. It was working until we trialed. Zoe is smart and learns quickly that in trials, the teeter would tip before she reaches the end, so she starts creeping up to find the pivot point. My original criteria was to have her run to the top then ride the teeter down, but I am now convinced that may not be possible (or maybe I’ve given up), so I think I would be thrilled if she would just run to the tipping point, ride the teeter down then hopefully run to the end. I remember reading somewhere that the teeter should be a 3-second obstacle instead of a 6-second ordeal. We only need one more Open Standard Q to title. My thought is to retrain after that because I don’t see how we can ever make Excellent or Master Standard if she takes 10 to 20 seconds on the teeter. I am open to any ideas you have. For sure, I can start at the lowest setting again and prop it so it doesn’t tip. And I am OK with it being a 6-second ordeal 😀 The last trial she did well, the teeter bounced hard and I think that really spooked her 🙁 She took 25 seconds on the teeter in the last 2 trials that the entire place started cheering for her when she finally tipped the teeter, and while I can’t be certain how that affected her, I thought the cheering helped.
Oh, I should mention, remember I showed you how Zoe gets all excited whenever I take my sock out to get ready to go out and you suggested bringing a jump? Now, before I take my sock out, I get the wobble board and we would play tug around, near and on the wobble board. It’s working so much better than the highest value treat I used in the past. If only I can bring the teeter into the bedroom … 😀Oops, sorry, in addition to the above post, forgot to ask about shadow handling. Can you explain more or have a sample video? Yes, whenever we’re not running, she gets distracted. I think she is “hyper-aware” of the environment? It was during the day and the shelter had some dogs out in the kennel run and one was constantly barking at us. She reminds me of someone who goes to work and just want to get the work done and over with so she can leave quickly.
I will try playing with her in the garage, and will get back to that later. Thanks again.
Yes, video 1 was our first run. It’s amazing how you picked up on the subtle things! I remember joking to someone that I think Zoe likes to get paid first before she runs. I suspect it’s her way of negotiating if what she is getting at the end of the run is going to be worth while her effort!
You made an interesting comment about placing whatever she was running (off course) to should be placed at the end of the course. Given her fear of heights, can you believe it was the teeter?! LOL! I had the teeter set to the lowest setting. I thought maybe it would do her good to have the teeter low once in a while. I did turn the camera to capture the teeter, but wasn’t sure I should submit. But, here it is:
https://youtu.be/SN75Zms8DUk
My question is, do you think I should have the teeter near the course whenever we train? I can get speed and she can get her teeter fix 😀 Notice how she didn’t even go after the treat in the sock, as if doing the teeter was already her reward. My only worry is she will get used to doing the teeter whenever she pleases even at trials … but that can be fixed later, maybe? I was also thinking, like the dogwalk, I will wait until she runs to the end before raising the teeter a little bit at a time. Also, she waits for me right before tipping the teeter and could not figure out why, but watching the video, I wonder if my mistake is NOT putting the treat before she gets on the teeter. Your thoughts?I don’t quite understand what you meant by ” One thing I would like for you to do is also reward on the course (not just throwing the toy out after a jump).” Can you explain more?
Finally, I want to ask your advice on fun runs. The place where we often trial is offering fun runs this Sunday, 1/5. It will be AKC/USDAA equipment and nested course of Premier Jumpers and Open Standard. There will 3 runs, the first run will be 90 seconds and the last 2 runs will be 60 seconds, though we don’t have to do all 3. Do you recommend entering? If so, what do you suggest we focus in the ring? The last time we trialed was 4 weeks ago and we are trialing the following weekend. I have no idea what to expect in terms of speed or how she will handle the environment. Zoe will be 7 in Feb, so she is getting older and not sure if two weekends in a row maybe a bit much for her and so, just focus on the trial …
As always, thank you!
Wow, I didn’t realize how far ahead I was! I can see how confusing that can be for Zoe. If my team mate would run that far ahead, I would wonder if I were supposed to take the tunnel at all! Thanks for pointing that out. There had been occasions where Zoe just stood still right at the tunnel entry. Now I understand why!
We did drill 1 today at the agility field. I should have taken notes because I forgot some of the things you suggested :/ I am also curious to learn what you notice about our reward system …
Some of the things I remembered:
– gave Zoe some cookies before we started, then on the course, then right before we ran.
– going to the tunnel with her, like I was going to touch it.
Some of the things I forgot:
– picking her up as she came out of the tunnel
I felt like I was pretty close to the tunnel entry, but watching the video, am I still too far from what you suggested? Also, she doesn’t seem to like being restrained, what do you think? I have a sense that she’d rather have a head start, but I’m not sure.
The drill went longer than I planned, and I broke the video into 3 parts because she kept going to the teeter (not in view). She finally kept on course when I did a front cross after the tunnel to jump #5.
https://youtu.be/Ro5yRcdDmxo
https://youtu.be/yMaGgpP9xeA
https://youtu.be/LPIU4sic61YLazy-B-game. This is after the drill. Maybe we should have done this before instead. Zoe seemed more interested in what was going on outside the field, so I cut it short …
https://youtu.be/TcqGtodTBtM
I tried to do a comparison between play (in another room in the house) and play in the field. Again, she seemed more interested in the environment. Sorry, I didn’t realize the lighting was so poor in the house (it was a dark and cloudy day today), but we can sort of see she was OK playing in the house.
https://youtu.be/qXSVTwWxVykYes! I thought Zoe looked more motivated when I was slightly behind her, but deflated when I ran past and ahead of her. Wanted to hear your input first to make sure I wasn’t seeing things! Thank you so much for helping trouble shoot this. I will try with opposition reflex tomorrow or Friday. I don’t think she minds having someone hold her, but we’ll see.
Re: play w/o toy or food. We can play anywhere in the house, but not outside. Here is my sad attempt to get Zoe to play with me. Do you have a suggestion to make her less fearful?
https://youtu.be/MqIJzSOK0pY
Lesson 4 drill 1. We only have one tunnel, so will do drill 2 tomorrow or Friday when we can go to the agility field. The first try, she slowed down between 3 and 4, and I think I caused it, perhaps I wasn’t being clear? Oh, and I’m happy to say that lately she wants to continue whenever I tell her we’re done.
https://youtu.be/4AE7qpuh0NsHi Kim, I hope I get this right. I used beef liver today, Zoe’s favorite treat. Also, I tried to incorporate the little bit of training we had done with forward focus and opposition reflex at the beginning of each run. I forgot to show and let her sniff the treat with the very first run, so perhaps I messed up there.
https://youtu.be/0WJ4_AnhSDsHere is the video of me playing with Zoe without toy or food. This is pretty similar to what we do when we get ready for our run at trials, except with less space and less noise. Generally, Zoe gets all excited when I make weird noises or roughhousing her.
https://youtu.be/GpcObQeL91EHi Kim, hoping you would review this video of Zoe on the low dog walk. She really likes the dog walk because whenever we walk around in the yard, she looks for it. You can see on the video she even ran to it. We have had a few sessions, so I am not sure if this is a consistent thing since this was the only session I video taped. I see that she started running, but slowed down in the middle all the way to the end, where the reward was. Am I inadvertently rewarding her for being slow on the dog walk? Should I reward in the middle before she slows down? Also, she seems comfortable enough at this height, would you recommend raising it? Thanks!
https://youtu.be/nWS0ChMe0SkHi Kim, Merry Christmas and happy holiday season to you. Please do not feel you have to reply to my post immediately. I want to take advantage of a quiet week, plus there is nothing in the world I’d rather do than play with Zoe. I do not want to make you work just because I’m OCD 😀
Thanks for the clarifications. Yes, we never train with 12 poles when training in our own backyard. Don’t remember if I read or was told to train with different numbers of poles as a way of proofing. At home, we only use 4, with occasional 8. When we go to the field, I use 6, and in class, it’s always 12. I also think using 4 means faster reward for correct entry. And thanks for pointing out I wasn’t clear at times. Something I continue to forget 😐
Here is week 3 drill 1. I was really trying to do a blind cross here and there … Ugh. Also, for rewarding, I was planning on throwing the lotus ball sometimes and taking Zoe to the reinforcement station some of the times. Is that OK? I am afraid she will learn if there is no lotus ball, that there is no food and won’t run.
https://youtu.be/mjoSMJzPY3w
Can you elaborate on what I can do or change when I find myself standing still? Do I just jog in place?
Thank you!Thanks for the feedback! Old habits die hard! 😀
Here is the video for week 3 drill 2. The person videotaping accidentally ended the video before the end of our drill, so you will see a bit of a glitch at the end where I tried to join the videos together.
We started with LBG to get Zoe in the ‘mood’. You mentioned to reward sooner, so hopefully my timing was better. Watching the video, I realize I only did front crosses. When Zoe is fast, I do not have the confidence to do blind crosses, which is something I need to learn. Another thing, I keep forgetting to end with the tunnel (or #10). I can’t react fast enough when Zoe is running fast. Another thing I remember, to reward randomly.
Regarding the weave pole, can I ask if I should reward if she misses the entry but weaves the rest of the poles correctly? In the video, you will see I still reward her, without much of a celebration. When she finds the entry and weaves correctly, I jackpot and celebrate. Is this the right way?
https://youtu.be/Z7OuG3pseAM
Thanks!Hi Kim!
So glad you’re giving us a week to catch up. I have plenty to address after getting your many and great input and happy to have next week to do some of the exercises again.
LBG on contacts: Yes, Zoe learned quickly dog walk and teeter are high value obstacles, so she seeks them out whenever we are on the field. Plus for the dog walk and the A-frame, I think she enjoys the view from up high 😀 Thanks for letting me know I should be faster with the rewards.
Teeter: I suspect she is worried about the movement, specifically, the bounce when the board hits the ground. Since she is careful when tipping the board, it doesn’t bang very loudly for her, but even when other dogs bang the teeter, I don’t see her flinch anymore, so I think she got used to it. I used to bang the teeter while giving her yummy treats. When we train, I would stop the teeter before it hits the ground so it doesn’t bounce, but I think eventually I will have to train her for that. She definitely does better on the hydraulic teeter. Unfortunately the trial place near our house still has the teeter that bounces. Any ideas you have, please do share …
I was going to do week 3 drill 2 this morning, but we ended up (I think) playing than anything else. There was a regular course already and I saw nice speed circles. Clearly I was having trouble keeping up with Zoe’s speed. Do you think there is value in playing like this? I can’t even get my cues or timing right 😀 But I love her speed, and most importantly, it made me happy to think that she was having fun. How can I improve on sessions like this?
https://youtu.be/U4apdF-E05gHi Kim,
Before I forget, I want to say your story about Pepper made me all choked up! It’s good to know even the best handlers have their struggles. I’ve been told Zoe does not have the legs for agility. Have heard people said if she was their dog, they would have given up. Thankfully I have a trainer who believes our job is to make Zoe be the best agility dog she can be and not once suggested I get another dog.Back to some exercises today. I am thinking that the lazy-b-game maybe a good way to get Zoe acclimated. Would you recommend that? I was also trying to remember your suggestion to walk a tad slower. This is what I did:
https://youtu.be/BsSOdkxTn6o
Drill 1 with equipment. Surprised that Zoe started fast immediately. And, I really need to remember to keep running after the last obstacle! Around 1:10 I was attempting to do the opposition reflex to start, but I think we need more training 😀 Also, since she got the sequence right a few times, I was going to stop at around 2:00 mark, and threw a party, but she started the sequence again, and I just played along. We did stop after that. I was originally planning on doing some other exercises, but decided to end and celebrate right after so didn’t feel like the reward for doing well was more work!
https://youtu.be/IMc-55y-p6YThank you!
