Sorry, Rabbit- AND Kids- Trix are for PUPS!

 This’ll show those nasty little kids who never shared their Trix with the Rabbit.

Trix are for DOGS now- ha!

OK, I guess they are for rabbits too- per the RABBIT SHOW JUMPING LINK that our friend at BC Insanity found.  I’m so getting rabbits now.

So there you go: Rabbits and Dogs, 1. Kids, 0. Reason one thousand seven hundred and twelve that I have dogs instead of kids still. For anyone keeping track.

OK so I really digressed a bit there. What can I say? I’m delirious from a severe lack of Mexican food. I need 50 cc’s of queso fundido, stat.

ANYWAYS. I really love trix. By which I mean tricks.  When I brought The Pup home, I decided to experiment a little. I decided to try 100% tricks-based foundations with her.  Why? Two reasons- I love tricks and find them to be very entertaining, which makes training more fun and not a chore (how many millions of times have I heard people say “UGH I can’t wait for the puppy stage to be OVER, I HATE foundations, I just want a trained DOG??” I so didn’t want that to be me.)  Second, it was in the name of The Project.  Remember, one of my goals here is to try new things and evolve with the sport.  I definitely don’t want to be one of those people who trains every dog the same way… forever.  Blah. Even if it works. Blah.  I can’t even imagine how much it would suck to have an agility ‘brand’ that you are known by- try to change anything, and it’s like suddenly you’re no longer behind your own product!  How limiting.  So the key is to ALWAYS be trying new things.  Further, (secret hidden third reason?) I’ve had the unique perspective of teaching hundreds of other people’s new dogs for several years now- I have a pretty darn good idea of what works…and what really doesn’t.  So it isn’t a totally uncontrolled experiment- I am working under the reasonable assumption that this will pay off.

And it SO is, for those wondering.  I am NOT working on obedience, manners (except the not biting thing), drive or the other countless things that some people obsess over.  Just tricks.  And ta-da.  Those other things are all popping into existence on their own.  PLUS I have a brilliant, confident puppy who works to engage me.  She IS a bit (ha!) naughty, but it’s all coming along.  And I would rather have a dog who feels good enough about herself and her life to attempt a crusade onto the counter to steal a taco (and who can solve the problem of getting up there!) than a dog who never tries anything because she’s too scared or lacks ingenuity.  At least I get good stories out of it.

In case it isn’t totally obvious, we’ve had some good training sessions around here recently.  I’m dang happy with how all the trick work has morphed along into obstacle performance.  I did get some video of things last night:

Teeter- her favorite thing on the planet.  I couldn’t even take the two seconds to lower it before she was trying to run over it, so I caved and let her do it as it was.  It’s about 12” high here.   This is her third time on am entire teeter.   Contributing tricks: Wobble board, perch work, perch work on wobble board, Four feet in a box, plank work, ‘ready-steady-go,’ drawer slams and the bang game.  Find it fascinating that we spent most hours away from the actual obstacle only to have close to a proficient final product within a session or two of actually seeing it. Similar to making a really good mole sauce. 

Plank work- I decided she understood the concept of committing to staying on the length of the plank well enough to start raising it up. It’s maybe 6” off the ground- I grafted it onto the actual DW which works awesome(ly?), FYI.  She did very well, did not come off the sides, and seems to have a non-leaping stride.  I did a few (not shown) running with her so the concept wouldn’t be foreign to her in the future and those were good too.  I am still targeting only to food, not toys.  I’ve dubbed the ‘method’ Tex/Mex: a Daisy/Silvia bastard brain child- I took what I liked and what is appropriate for The Pup from their training and squished it together.  I very much agree with the Daisy/Linda idea that thinking matters most right now and will equal more correct behaviors, which equals more positive experiences/reinforcement, which equals confidence which equals speed.   I’ve seen this in action on the jump training- why not apply it to contacts too? So this is another experiment.

As for jumping, we’ve done many sessions of the various one jump c/t exercises and I decided to move to the next stage of walking through sequences.  Obviously, the jumps are low, basically non jumps.  We will revisit the one jump work when it comes time to raise the bar, but before then I have lots of time to get her used to seeking out jumps, loving them, and learning my handling cues too.  Also am simultaneously teaching the cik/cap style turns.  

Not completely throwing Silvia’s idea on speed from the get-go though, doing lots and lots of flatwork with this concept in mind.  (The Pup is the best chaser ever.)   I really liked the idea of training everything separately- handling away from equipment and equipment from other equipment so I am doing this to some extent. Hopefully it all mushes together like some kind of beautiful agility nacho plate. 

Not to be outdone, The Dog is lovely. Cik/cap turns up to 20” and holding strong. I can’t get over that I have to do it, but we are building lots of tunnel drive still and last night I had fun directing her into various tunnels from across the ring at breakneck speed.  Oh, she had fun too, don’t worry.

Now, onto the next big problem- getting’ me some Mexican-y goodness.  Ole! 

Oh god, so good looking I may lick my screen...

The Pup Loves Everyone...Except CYBORGS.

OK, so until now The Pup loved everyone she has ever met. Ev.er.y.one. Even the vet. Who took her temperature. (And it wasn't the kind that goes in their ear!) Yeah, she is strange like that.

Today's walk in the park (ha! Not!) revealed something she completely and utterly does NOT like:

Cyborgs.

Well, at least that is what she thinks they are.  In reality, it's just babies in strollers, dudes on skateboards and kids on bikes.  But the whole 'people on wheels' thing was apparently foreign to her and QUITE the cause for alarm.  To her, it was an all out invasion, Battlestar Galactica-style.  The Dog rolled her eyes and kept walking as The Pup waged war back against them.

"No cause for alarm. Unless you don't throw the ball."

Giving "SHIFTY EYES" to that baby in the stroller...

What could I do? I didn't want to stop her...on the off chance that they were those freaky Battlestar Galactica cyborgs.

You never know!

Cyborgs...balls... they've each got their OCD 'thing.'

Anyways, aside from our Vigilante Patrol for Cyborgs (a.k.a our walk) we also did a hefty amount of training. Very structured. And wouldn't you know- progress was made!

I even remembered to get proof (for once)!

First, some video of The Dog working on all manner of jumping. Mostly her cik/cap style turns, but we also practiced backside jumping, pull-throughs, serps, threadles, 270s, 180s and blind crosses too! (Just running 16" for now to keep the turns tight. And because that grass is dang dry. Ick.)  Don't worry, for all that, it's a short video.

Next up, The Pup working on her e-course homework (her back-up is so cute! IMO... which is law, since it's my post! ha!) and showing off her ability to wait in her crate. Not exactly reliably or patiently, but getting there.

Finally, a video of The Pup working on her agility equipment foundation. Kind of had a breakthrough with her running the plank for her toy today. She was quite into the toy all of a sudden. I was even exchanging the toy for food and she kept up her interest in the tug. Also showing her table status and the jump work.

Like I said- productive couple of days here!  I've totally got Spring Agility Fever.

Have to enjoy it while I can because soon I will have Hay Fever. Blech.

"Look ma! No choking! Thanks, Harness!"

K, Bye! Gotta go now! 

Gator: Gone but Not Forgotten.

Hmmm, actually not really GONE gone either. More like, gone to a better place where he can no longer be savaged by the dogs.  

When I say ‘dogs’ I of course refer only to The Pup. She is wholly responsible for the mauling and maiming of the long-lived (by dog toy standards) Alligator Toy.   Her story was that his eye and stuffing brains just happened to fall out of him into her mouth which was open because she was giving him Nice Kisses.  Uh huh. If that is true, why are there puppy tooth sized scratches all over what is left of his eyes???  (The Pup was unavailable for further comment as she is currently serving hard time...and her mouth is full of stuffing brains...)

As for Alligator Toy…He gets to live in protective custody now with Wiggle Puppy.  Once I make him an eye patch that is… Here is a picture of the extensive injuries caused to his person by The Pup (Warning: Graphic Material- may not be suitable for small children or people who love stuffed Gator Toys.):

OH THE HUMANITY!!!

The Dog is inconsolable.  While stuffies aren’t usually her “thing” she had grown to love The Gator.  I found her with him after the incident in the pen. She had him gently between her front paws and was giving his bad eye licks- I think she was trying to put the eye back in place.  Sorry, Dog. Some things just can’t be fixed.  Especially by me as I am not crafty in that way.

 In Memory of The Gator (2006-2011)

***

With the exception of The Gator’s demise (oh, and one DVD case turned into Swiss Cheese by puppy teeth…and one toilet paper roll…), The Pup really IS starting to be more normal and less destructive around the house.  Maybe we have just gotten better about keeping stuff out of reach, but I’d like to think that she’s growing a brain inside that REALLY THICK skull of hers (seriously, is that normal? It’s like a helmet she wears on the inside?!?!).  This week we’ve added a few things to the training regime (not to be confused with THE REGIME- less than two weeks left on that!!!):

Heeling (no stops yet but both sides)

Post turns

Call to either hand while front-facing or facing away

Cross in Front groundwork

Sends to the Table

Stays on the Table

One Jump Work!  She is only ‘jumping’ the bar on the ground but I wanted to start the LM Jump/Click/Treat stuff to get her seeking/loving the jump. This way we can at least do some handling sequences! Eventually.

My version of Crate Games. So I have the DVD, just haven’t watched it.  But we are working on games in a crate; currently we are upping the difficulty level. She’s solid on getting in on command, laying down and making eye contact before her treat comes. We worked next on stay with tempting treats around the outside the crate. Also very solid. So last night we added her having to wait while I played mini games with The Dog and apparently its pure torture! She is pretty good, but when I give multiple treats The Dog she can’t stop herself from popping her head out. And sometimes her whole body.  It’s kind of imperative that she learns to wait her turn and watch QUIETLY (she found a new decibel range this week and likes to try it out whenever I work The Dog away from her…) so we are going to spend a LOT of time on this!

Sitting (NOT boinging) for Dinner

Toy/Treat exchange. I bought an unstuffed frog that you could put food in and we’ve been learning how to go between chasing toys and tugging and getting cookies. The hard part for her is going back to the tugging, but managed to refocus for some good play after a few attempts.

I still find her very biddable in her working temperament. She is a bit like The Dog in that she is very measured when she is first learning a process, but once it clicks for her she shows a TON of enthusiasm and drive (“OOO, can we do it again? And again and again and again???”). UNlike The Dog, I’ve never had her get frustrated and give up or shut down.  She works until she finds the right behavior. While she does have a patience/attention limit when I try to train with toys (I get 5 reps max of excellent board runs with a toy before she lies down and chews my plank), I have yet to find one with food.

So I suppose I’ll hang onto her for awhile more. Even though she is technically an attempted murderer at this point.

***

Lastly, I am still working on the cik/cap style turns with The Dog. She LOVES them. I would recommend this absolutely for any dog that has issue either jumping with collection or driving full tilt out of turns. Just the act of teaching them has tightened her up on course already, and we haven’t even implemented them “for real.”  We’ve worked up to 18”. She is maintaining excellent collection and doing pretty darn well on understanding the directional. This will likely never be a truly independent obstacle - she does rely on my position to discern which way to turn. I can be at a distance, but typically have to be on the side of her that I need her to turn (on her right to go to the right).  Basically, I would never be able to be tricky and rear cross which is fine by me.

I’m aiming to have these turns ready for a test run at MAC since we get to try the International courses. FUN! 

In close: Cute Dogs. Well, one cute, sad dog and one cute, mean, taunting dog. Guess which is which?

"Nah, nah, NAH MY Crack Ducky!!! Iz make U sad ! Ha!"

Guess who has Crack Ducky NOW????

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn!): Last Day of Trkman Seminar

Nothing like The Byrds to set the stage for my last auditing session with Silvia Trkman.  This morning I attended the portion on teaching the cik/cap turns.  I had been kicking myself for not grabbing a working spot, but am actually glad I did not. I think I learned a lot more by watching the process; this allowed me to begin training my eye for ideal behavior before involving my dog, and I was able to absorb some troubleshooting pointers by watching the working dogs.

I will say, without even having to really try it, I know with absolute certainty that I will train and USE this now. I had thought it was a ‘good in theory’ sort of idea, but wasn’t sure about enough details to know if every aspect would work for The Dog and I in practice. Having received clarification, this seems to be just what we need.  IF we train correctly, it should:

*Allow me to provide The Dog with more advance information (information good, too many options bad for The Dog. Remember, we have an over-thinker here.)

*Teach her more about turning FAST and coming out of the turn also FAST (when my timing is good with a collection cue, or I am there physically, she can do a great hairpin turn. If-IF- this happens and she does the turn, she takes several steps to accelerate back to good speed.)

*Cure our codependency issues (if I don’t have to micromanage, I can get to where I need to be: cuing the next obstacle.  Her speed also stays up if I stay out of her way, so she could use some independence too.)

*Give some efficiency, lose some time (tight turn means better lines, which keeps the whole run from snowballing out of control. So often one bad turn, or one point of being out of place throws off everything else in the run with little hope of regaining efficiency. At the very least, we get one trip to China that puts seconds back on an otherwise tight run.)

These are only the reasons to do this for me personally. There are many that may apply to you as well, and then some.  Silvia stated that of course, this is excellent for the dog with the large stride, but also good for the ‘Nordic’/hunting (straight line preferring) dogs as they learn that they can turn as fast as they could run straight, and also for small breeds/dogs with short strides. Though they may turn tight, they need extra work on maintaining drive from obstacle to obstacle (since the distance is relatively greater).

***

So- how to teach?

You can read the previous post from Puppy Night on getting started. Remember that you should reward the dog close to the object, with their head in the correct direction.  Silvia stated that she does teach both directions simultaneously, and assigns the words as soon as the dog is offering the wrap around the object. (Note that she did say it was ok to use the same word with both directions, but you will need to be more supportive with your body language and obviously won’t gain quite the same level of independence.

Once your dog can circle their object tightly- several consecutive circles in the same direction, without luring- you can start backing up and working on the send to the object and rewarding speed out of the (complete) circle with a toy.  She recommended restraining the dog to build excitement and also advocates giving the command several times so the dog doesn’t a) forget what it is going to be doing and b) you won’t fail with bad timing.  We were warned that the biggest issue with this not working was LATE TIMING so be aware of that.  Remember to continue to support some physically; being static builds confusion.

An important point was that, in the beginning, your turns should be more difficult (complete circles rather than a wrap). You will eventually use this to cue COLLECTION in one direction or another, not a wrap specifically.  When the dog puts full effort into the collection aspect, you may begin to use in a wrap form. (Though she did mention for a true pull-between wrap, like a threadle, you will probably need an additional command, like “come” or you will need to run your butt off in the correct direction.) Also remember that the point of this is to distinguish collected “short” jumping versus jumping long. She clarified that the cik/cap turns are NOT used on any other obstacles (even though she starts with it to teach turns off the dogwalk, she fades it out); she still uses left and right cues for other equipment. Essentially there are three different ways to jump a jump, this just gives you the power (yay, superpower!!) to request in advance which style the dog will use.  If you do this correctly, your dog will not collect until the moment off take-off and not before. 

When your dog is magnificent on the object (she thought her students probably worked on this at least a month) and sends to it and circles, with varied spacing, additional objects and your position varied as well, you can begin using a jump. Silvia stated that she starts as a ground pole and moves up very slowly in tiny increments (I think she said it takes her a year to get to full height.) She does not move up again until the dog circles the same post with perfection repeatedly. However she does start using in small sequences (usually beginning with wrapping between jumps and a tunnel). Then she will up the obstacle count and layout difficulty (but not the bars).

For dogs that are already doing agility and want to learn a new thing, she said not to consider it a retrain, just added tricks basically. She said to pretty much follow the same steps, the exception being that you could begin to incorporate in practice course work right away (first and last jumps are ideal placement), just leave the bar on the ground.  She said to bring out in competition only after you had gotten the dog to full height in practice.  It was mentioned that there can be a bit of an issue with this group when the bar went up high enough to allow the dog to jump normally. She said you must be extra patient and move even slower to full height as these dogs that had already been jumping might forget and extend too much.   Her advice on ‘corrections’ was that you should immediately redo the wide turns and then reward the amazing turns. OK turns you could go on, but then stop to reward the next good one.

***

Overall: amazing seminar. I find it rare that so many skills can be so universally applied to different dogs but this was such a case. So grateful to be able to work with such a successful and, dare I say, innovative handler. THANK YOU to MAC and ACTs- GREAT IDEA! THANK YOU to Silvia too of course; you can’t know how much you helped get me unstuck on more than a couple things.  Maybe someday you will Google yourself and see my appreciation… though if she ever read that last “LEADER” post I would be red. I know I provided *some* information (ha!!) but truly nothing can replace working with her and listening to her in person. There was so much more that was discussed (I know, you’re thinking HOW CAN THAT BE?? You just took up half the internet!) and the visuals helped immensely. If you have the chance to even just audit, make like The Dog and GO.