Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi Kim,
Help! 😀 That’s my first thought after I tried some of the games/drill w/o equipment for week 3. Almost not sure if I should submit the videos but I have to start somewhere and better to get some directions sooner than later 🙂
I don’t know if we are supposed to play these games indoors, but it’s windy and cold today and I thought playing indoors without any distractions maybe a good way to start.
Forward focus: we played this right before we went for a walk, so there was a built-in excitement with Zoe wanting to play with my socks. I didn’t use treats here.
https://youtu.be/pIZDUQLNPU0
It’s your choice:
https://youtu.be/4JadjxA6PSc
Opposition reflex: I hope to get this right. The closest start line routine we have from your descriptions in lesson 2 is the sling shot. It’s been suggested to me that at the start line, I put my hand(s) on Zoe’s chest and instead of pushing her forward, to push her backward, as if I’m cheating to get a head start for her to chase me.
https://youtu.be/pfXeLljIioI
Continuing the plank work. You mentioned to add the ramps, but here I also raised the plank. Getting her acclimated to the new height in the first pass (lots of treats). My tripod fell (crazy wind!) right before one last pass on the dog walk. She wasn’t running, but confident enough to make me stop. I’m guessing you’d want me to keep this height until she runs across? Or let me know if you think I should bring it back down.
https://youtu.be/ssG2iUIbGPgWeather permitting, we’ll do the drills with equipment on Thursday.
Also, one question I have from reading one of your replies to another student. “Meaning that when you are asking a dog to play agility, we want them to be focused on the game and not distracted.” So, what’s the right thing to do to get a distracted dog back to play? Like, if the dog goes sniffing in the middle of a sequence?
Thanks!
Gosh, that is a very good idea. THANK YOU! I understand that dogs don’t generalize so I wasn’t surprised Zoe didn’t know what to do with the socks when I tried making her play with them in the field. I will try your suggestion and come back to this.
It was wet, cold and gloomy this morning, so we played much and worked little 😀 Ha! Mostly because the human couldn’t handle the chilly weather. Zoe seemed to love it because she was running around like a puppy! I wanted to show you our pre-run routine. Imagine Zoe in a slip lead, we are waiting near the gate with 3 or 4 dogs ahead of us and perhaps 1 or 2 dogs behind us. So, our working space is limited to perhaps 3×3 feet. I read somewhere that for slow dogs, to do moving tricks for pre-run routine to keep them excited, so I usually do stand up and bow (also to stretch her body), spin (to stretch her sides) and hand touches. Here are a couple of videos of our (pretend) pre-run routines. Would love to get your input. Thanks!
https://youtu.be/ukhZ-ocipIc
https://youtu.be/YEAJabrh2x8Thank you for sharing your observation. I think you are spot on! I try to hide my disappointment, but I think Zoe can sense it. Often I got frustrated when she seemed to ‘space out’ because I didn’t see or hear anything. Someone told me once that for sensitive dog like Zoe, she has to try harder to do what most dogs can easily do. That gives me a better appreciation of her. Can I ask how you helped Pepper cope?
We took the weekend off, so no exercise videos, but if I could, I’d like to get your input on a couple of videos. I wish I can transfer Zoe’s excitement in these two videos to agility.
First video: she gets VERY excited whenever I am getting ready to take her out. She wants my socks and will do whatever she can to get them and happily play tug with them. I tried taking the socks to agility field once, but she ignored it as if she didn’t know what to do with them. Is there any training I can do to get her to tug with my socks anywhere and not just at home?
https://youtu.be/c9wEP1IZVLM
Second video: This is the startline routine I am hoping to transfer to agility trial. I was video taping, so my hubby was the one next to Zoe, but usually, I would be next to her, going “ready? ready, ready, ready?” Then when I see her getting all excited, I would open the gate and say “gogogogogo” – my intent is to shape “gogogogogo” as “running fast.”
https://youtu.be/4DvIND6yiHw
Ideas? More than anything, I wish Zoe would enjoy agility as much as she enjoys our going-for-a-walk routine.I was hoping you would suggest adding the up/down ramp, especially after I saw Zoe “flying” to get on the plank :D. I will do that this weekend!
I was planning on doing a few things this morning, but as usual, things never went as planned. In the video, you will see somebody working her dog in the field next to us (the club has 2 fields, one for USDAA/AKC, the other for NADAC). Perhaps it’s a good thing so you can see how Zoe ‘works’ with distraction. We did drill 2 and spent a lot of time just getting her acclimated to the environment (which I didn’t tape). I really like the idea of reinforcement stations, and as you can see, Zoe already knows the tupperware and lunch box == yummy treats. Sorry the first 2 videos are dark, something to do with the camera angle. I made adjustment after I realized that the way it was positioned it didn’t capture me running 15 to 20 feet after the last jump. I think I am getting the idea of the speed circles! We get the dog excited, then sneak in a handling practice here and there. I am still having a hard time adding the handling part tho 🙂 I get too excited when I see Zoe running fast!
https://youtu.be/5JsjcweSbWM
https://youtu.be/40ni7iNRuqI
https://youtu.be/DVC_6S1J9wISome thoughts: After the lady left, I did a fun run and Zoe was more focused and faster. My thought is, she felt more at ease and I suspect I was less inhibited too. Also, does it seem like she prefers that I throw the ball instead of chasing it?
I am glad you warned us that we may not be able to do all the exercises, so I don’t stress over it. I want to show you our startline routine – or lack of it 😐 – but still haven’t gotten to it. I think I’ve worked Zoe hard this week, so no agility for us tomorrow and maybe not on Sunday either. We’ll try to catch up on Monday. Have a great weekend!
Forgot to mention, I really enjoyed lesson 2 lecture. I have trainers constantly reminding me NOT to stare at Zoe, and yet, I still forget at times. Your explanation makes it easy to remember, and yes, I don’t think I will forget ‘creepy’ 🙂
And about stress from handler, thank you for the analogy, now I understand better how my stress can affect Zoe and how I can be a better companion for her.Hi! Thank you for the kind words, especially about my decision in class yesterday. It was VERY humbling, but now you made me feel good about it. It helped that everyone cheered when Zoe started running. One thing I love most about dog sports, everyone roots for everyone to do well!!!
Yes, I think that’s accurate about her needing “to get into the groove when working.” I am wondering if Zoe needs to feel safe before she can focus. She seems to run better after she gets a chance to ‘study’ the environment.
Thanks for the feedback on the verbal praises. I want to give Zoe instant reward even when I can’t treat her, and I think that’s working.
And yes, you are right! I am guilty of overworking her yesterday. We went to the agility field after class with the intent of setting something up for this morning, but it was cool (in the 50’s) and I thought if we worked then, we could sleep in today 😀 Lazy me!!!So, a light day for Zoe today. Quick plank work with the plank raised as you recommended. I put a target plate on one end. Started by treating her for any interaction with the plank. To my surprise, she seemed comfortable almost immediately. One thing I noted, at time 00:57, she did the typical behavior on the teeter/dog walk, where she paused and looked down, but only that one time. I stopped after she ran to get on the plank and walked quickly. Would have liked to see her run ON the plank, but didn’t want to push it in one session. Let me know what you think. Also, if my reward timing is proper.
Oh, and I did incorporate the reinforcement station (lunch box) idea in the exercise.
https://youtu.be/2pIdMwm6VuEHi Kim, I don’t want to be discouraged, but felt like we regressed today…
The main issue: my inability to get Zoe to focus on me or stay engaged.The first video is our training in class. We go to competition class once a week. The format is, we all run the course as if it were a trial run, then we walk and analyze the course, then we practice a short sequence of our choice for 3 to 5 minutes. I mentioned to the trainer (she is a sub today), that I wanted to focus on speed, and if I could do speed circles instead (so, like an FEO or NFC run). As you can see, I had troubles getting Zoe to engage with the catch-the-toy game and she started with a trot. It was nice that everyone was cheering for her and maybe helped her run faster? Not sure what spooked her, nobody seemed to know.
https://youtu.be/ASxWO3xelrkBelow videos were taken at the agility field next to the animal shelter and as you can see, Zoe seemed quite distracted. A lot more people and dogs barking this late afternoon.
Here I was giving Zoe a treat every time she looked at me:
https://youtu.be/35J0j1HR8eM
This one, I was trying to get Zoe excited, by chasing the lotus ball but not getting her interest, I tried the lazy-b game (not sure if I did it right). Then drill 1.
https://youtu.be/1kkR2anhgS8
After a short break, this is reinforcement station exercise (using drill 1 setup). I always have a small lunch box with small tupperwares full of goodies, so seems natural to make the lunch box the reinforcement station since Zoe already knows it has all her goodies.
https://youtu.be/D7tOHgLqicQIt felt like Zoe was slow overall today, but watching the videos, there were times she was fast. One thing that frustrates me is, I want to reward her whenever she is running fast, but I can’t always tell because I am ahead of her. I am afraid at times, I am rewarding her for being slow.
Thanks.Hi Kim, I’m giving Zoe a day off, plus, it’s been raining all day, so we just did a short play session (without equipment) and some plank work.
Here is the catch me game with longer rope. I hope I’m getting what you’re suggesting 😀
https://youtu.be/e_u3q2h8fQQ
Plank work. I am not sure I am doing this right. Also, I forgot the target plate and didn’t want to go back inside after Zoe was all excited. Is it OK that she gets off the plank to enjoy the treat? And what do you think if I run along the plank with a treat toy? I don’t know if it’s a good idea to lure her to run across the plank.
https://youtu.be/izsrt1NpMKcPlanning on doing lesson 2 exercises soon.
Thanks!Hi Kim,
Zoe doesn’t like heat – and by that I mean over 60 degrees – so we usually train first thing in the morning. Still doing exercises from week 1. Haven’t looked at lesson 2, but definitely looking forward to it. I am guessing I am not the only one who feel like you have given us new hope. I forgot to mention, while trialing this weekend, I kept thinking about what you said that agility is just “a game of chasing mommy around a course” and I think that helped me relaxed – since it’s just a game, right? 🙂Catch me game:
https://youtu.be/TCGxawxkwLMSpeed circle exercise 1:
https://youtu.be/xK5ZS7n46_IKeeping the sessions short and energetic. It did occur to me, if Zoe runs this fast at trials, I will have to retrain myself to keep up with her, but that’s a problem I don’t mind having!!! Looking forward to your comments.
Also, I meant to ask. Skimming through the postings, you mentioned “opposition reflex” a few times. If this is something you will cover in the next few lessons, I can wait. I have a guess of what it means, but can you explain what it is, so I can be certain? I am not a dog trainer expert and haven’t been doing agility for long.
Thanks!Hello Kim,
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for the good luck wishes. We only managed to Q one out of 4 runs, but I thought we did a lot better than what the results show.
One thing I remember from our back n forth so far was for me to be patient while Zoe adjusted to the environment. Gave her a cookie whenever she chose to look at me, even if it was a slight head turn toward me. She wasn’t running at her top speed but she was consistent in all four runs, even at the end of today after a long day. Usually the longer she waits, the slower she runs :/
I only have one video from this weekend’s run. Thought I’d share with you in case you see anything to comment. The one thing I remember when we started running was thinking “Oh *blip* she starts slow …” Watching the video in slo-mo, sure enough, her time from jump to jump was between 2 to 3 seconds. When she’s fast, it’s usually between 1 to 2 seconds. It’s not until she came out of the second tunnel that she ran fast (and caught me unprepared!). Surely she couldn’t tell we were near the end? How could she know? Other than this is one of her slower runs, nothing stands out to me.
I hope to post drill #1 speed circle exercise tomorrow.Hi, I can use a long shoe lace and tie it to the sock or lotus ball. Zoe is not toy motivated, so I do hand targeting to get her excited also. I can video both to see what you think.
Yes, we have missed a Q by 0.08 second, so every fraction of a second counts, which means no stopping anywhere if at all possible (except for the pause table).
Questions:
1) If I reward at the end, would that train Zoe to stop at the end instead of running?
2) What should I do when she reaches the end and eats the cookie? Do I lure her off the plank, or pick her up and put her back on the plank?
3) Surprisingly, she didn’t want to stop yesterday and I probably would have continued if I didn’t recall your lesson 1 lecture about stopping while the dog is wanting more. What do you do if a dog wants to keep training? It felt like a total let down stopping abruptly …We are trialing this Friday and Sunday, so nothing agility related today and Saturday, which means we’ll continue on Monday and submit more videos then. Hope you have a great weekend and we’ll catch up Monday.
Hi Kim,
As you suggested, I let Zoe walk around to get used to the environment until she decided to check in with me. She was still distracted, but in general it was easier to get her attention.
I don’t know if I am doing the food/toy motivation exercises correctly. This is my attempt to “catch me” game:
https://youtu.be/1h3AQWk32zEPlank on ground:
https://youtu.be/qPt71yVRR-QYes, I do have different verbal cues for the dog walk and the teeter. For the dog walk it’s “walk it” or “walk, walk, walk” and for the teeter it’s “plank” or “up, up, up” – trying to do everything possible to make the two equipment different.
I don’t have an xpen, but I get the idea of what you are suggesting and can do that while building the course for training.
Do you recommend raising the criteria for the plank? Zoe surprisingly seemed comfortable with the plank on the ground, but do you think I should wait until she starts running before raising the plank?
As always, thank you!
Yes, so sorry for the video spam. I am guessing should be lessened as we past the intro period 😀
I like the analogy to the human behavior – helps me to remember and understand things better. Thank you.Got it on giving her time to choose to engage with me first. Sometimes I rush and you make me realize I shouldn’t! So if I understand you correctly, you’re suggesting walking with her around the field, not asking her to do anything, but anytime she chooses to engage with me, to reward her (either a cookie or a jackpot). And only proceeds once I have her full attention?
I have a question. When I go train, I usually go with a specific training plan and need time to build the course. What I have been doing is, while building the course, make her wait in the car and then when almost done, I let her do her business by walking her then let her into the field and wonder around on her own while I finish. What do you suggest I do while Zoe waits? If I make her wait in the crate or in the car, I worry she would get bored, but if I let her wander around, sniffing and playing while she waits, I worry she would get tired before we even begin training.Re: teeter. I must admit I haven’t tried hard enough to do the bang game. Yes, I am making a dog walk and I have a 12′ plank middle section ready. I was going to get her adjust to it by starting low (like 8″ off the ground), but we can certainly start on the ground instead.
More background: I have tried wobble board and tippy plank. Maybe I gave up too quickly but I was never able to get Zoe’s four paws on the wobble board. Then, maybe this sounds strange and backward, she got comfortable with the tippy plank AFTER she started doing the full teeter. The challenge is, when I experimented with the teeter, her dog walk performance suffered, so there was definitely a connection between the two. I think (and hope) it has lessened now.
Hello Kim,
Continuing my earlier post today …
Thank you for asking about our contacts. I’ve mentioned how we trained contacts earlier and following up with videos here.
This video shows Zoe in trials on the dog walk:
https://youtu.be/ESh_C97JQa4On the teeter:
https://youtu.be/BTDxpDVhqwg
https://youtu.be/nXRHoxbjvek
https://youtu.be/mzExn9nXze0Given an ideal trial environment (everyone and everything standing still and not a whisper …) Zoe can do the teeter and the dog walk between 11 to 18 seconds each. So, unless she improves, I don’t see us moving past Open Standard since we have roughly 30 seconds handicap. I have obsessed over where she can go faster, by figuring out the most efficient and easiest path for her, especially identifying straight lines for her. In the video, you will see me experimenting, by going ahead of her, staying with her, etc. You mentioned she seemed faster on the dog walk when I stayed with her. I am trying to keep my feet moving so she doesn’t stop and I think that makes me end up ahead of her at times.
This one shows our training efforts on the dog walk:
https://youtu.be/5Jnyne_p1cMOn the teeter:
https://youtu.be/BeLkE1lqudUDo we have access to contacts? My first reaction was ‘no, we don’t have contacts at home’ – then I realized you probably meant if we can practice contacts somewhere, so yes, either the club field or the training center. I am building an adjustable dog walk right now, so hopefully I’ll have one soon. I have a self made teeter but it’s propped so it doesn’t tip just so Zoe can run to the top.
I’ve come to accept when we trial for Open Standard, to consider it as practice on the teeter and the dog walk. We have had plenty of clean runs and managed to have 2 Open Standard Qs – one miraculously under SCT! I also don’t know if the right thing is not to trial until she is better on the teeter. She improves on the dog walk after we started trialing. It seems getting experience on different dog walks help build her confidence, and I am hoping the same for the teeter.
As for consistency, I think she is consistently ‘worried’ (is that the right word?), looking down, left and right, and worse when there is a tunnel below the dog walk. Tapping on the dog walk or teeter when she stops to look down seems to interrupt her and make her move again. Also, something I recently started doing, not sure how this would work, whenever we trained on the teeter, we also trained on the dog walk. My thought is, perhaps she will learn the two are very different obstacles.
Side note: Zoe is only 9lbs.
Looking forward to your insights. Thank you!
