So... Here is the plan. As agility is easier to show as to explain, you'll be getting your homeworks in video form. You'll always get some new assignments, but you need to keep practicing the old ones too - we'll be checking back on those here and there, so don't forget to keep working on those!
1. restrained send to cik/cap - the purpose of this exercise is to play a nice chasing game, while teaching great sends, distance work and commitment - see how early I can start running in the other direction when sending Le to the jump.
Things to pay attention to:
- height: If you only did cik&cap on other objects so far, start with a jump now, but without the bar for first 3 sessions: and then put the bar VERY low - max. 5cm (2 inches) for smaller dogs, 10cm (4 inches) for BC size and bigger. You can then add some height every 5 sessions: 3cm up for small dogs, 5cm for bigger dogs - SLOWER with young dogs! If you already did cik&cap with more height, do this exercise on your normal height, send a video and I will tell you if it's o.k. or you need to make it lower.
- distance: Start the dog very close to the jump first and then further&further every next try to slowly add distance. If the dog turns back to you (as Le does once in my video) or waits for you, start closer again and add distance more gradually.
- angle: Note from which angle I bring Le to the jump and in which direction I run away to reward. The purpose is to teach them to jump close to the wing, NOT in the middle of the bar! That's why I always do this approach FIRST and do lots of it before trying any straight approaches.
- speed: You can't expect much speed with multi-warps, but you definitely want it now. Restrain the dog, wait for a good pull, let him go and run away for them to chase you&the toy. Make sure the dog is rewarded when still moving - don't stop and reward: run and reward! 🙂
2. If the first part goes well, you can also do some figure 8s + chase it game: it's the same game, only that you use two jumps now and run from one to another, sometimes still rewarding the first wrap, sometimes 4th, sometimes 2nd, sometimes 5th, sometimes 3rd... Note the angle of the jumps and the distance between them: you want BIG distance to get good speed - something like 10m. Again, you want the jumps under this angle to make sure the dog is jumping close to the wing, not in the middle of the bar. DON'T do figure 8s on one jump, it teaches the dog to jump in the middle!
3. restrained send to a tunnel (obstacle discrimination!) + come to hand vs. go game
Restrain the dog very close to the tunnel, as he is pulling towards it, say "tunnel, tunnel" to them: pulling in the direction of that thing is what you want when you say "tunnel" - and then let them go. Slowly add distance. Later on, you can add more obstacles (jumps&contact) close to the tunnel to make the discrimination harder: only say "tunnel" when the dog is pulling in the right direction, you can feel it if you hold him. You do the same with jumps: call cik&cap and release to the jump that is first the only thing around and then add tunnels closer&closer. The goal is teaching obstacle discrimination AND actively pulling towards obstacles you call (as opposed to hanging with you, waiting to take them all the way to each obstacle).
To train even more things at the time, when the dog is out of the tunnel, either call to hand and when he is at your side, either do a front cross or a shoulder pull (see the video) and reward for closeness - OR say your magic "run FAST" word and throw a toy ahead when the dog is catching up with you - meaning that you're moving in both situations, do NOT stand still when you send!
4. independent weaves
If you haven't started weaves yet, set 12 poles in two rows (left row must always be 60cm/24inches closer to you when you stand in front of the channel in order to teach them correct entries), at least 1m apart, restrain the dog at least 3m before the channel, throw the toy through and release. As the dog is running to his toy, sometimes just stand back, sometimes run after him, on both sides, sometimes far, sometimes close, sometimes run and stop, sometimes run and turn etc. The purpose is to teach the dog to ignore your body language when in the weaves and complete the task. Slowly switch to a static toy 4m after the channel, bringing the two rows closer&closer as you practise independent performance (I'm using bowls with treats with Le as she isn't too excited about dead toys... - but I quickly switched to a toy, thrown after she is out then to get more speed). See the video for some ideas on what to do when the dog is in channel. If the dog already knows the weaves, send the video of how independent it is. If it's not, go back to the channel.
Have fun!
Hi!
I’m finnaly post my video of the lession #1, sorry that I’m so late.
Pulling vs obstacles: vs tunnel it’s ok, but vs cik&cap no 🙁
Handling: when I did shoulder pushing she came after my back, I thing becouse I had the toy in the opposit hand.
Slalom: I tried put the ball at the finish, first 2 time was ok, but later she wouldn’t pass into the channel, so I prefered throw the ball.
Thank you!
Maša & Wey
Hm, yes, try to practise the tunnel a lot, maybe she transfers “pronta” to the jump too then… For now, keep a toy in the correct hand for a tunnel exercise -- and then make it less and less visible (hide it in your fist) to have her pay attention to hands as such, not just the toy. When doing front cross, turn for 180 degrees, back to the tunnel. Another thing you can try with cik&cap, other than putting pulling to the tunnel on name and then asking the same with the jump is to try to move more with her at first, maybe it will make it more fun then. Or will she only look at you then if you move? The channel is going well now with the thrown toy. It gets more complicated when the channel gets so narrow that it’s hard to throw, but maybe by then, she is running ahead on her own in anticipation of a toy, so yes, just keep working like that for now, but do try to start her somewhat off line already.
Is Blast tight enough now to go onto figure 8’s??
Yeap, that’s definitely much tighter! I would do some more one jump sends now, before going for figure 8.
Is this ok or too too much luring?
Much better! Spread the cones even more now and do more running in between, to make it more fun. Also, try to reward with a toy.
I’ve been resorting to treats again because she loses her head so much with a toy (toy means yeehaa freeforall playtime to her) and she needs her head for this, its not in her body yet
But I will try different toys now
THANKS!!!!
Hey Dinah-
How are you guys? Will you be at doggieU cpe in August?
Laura and the paps
Yesterday I training a little just cik&cap with multiwraps and the pulling through the obstacle was very better than in the video. I think that the course with the tunnel of the 2#lession I did, helps her a lot!
Yeap, I guess it will get better once it makes more sense to her.
Hi teach and classmates!
We are back from holiday and this evening we finally had time to do some training. 😀 (yesterday I had to read all the comments first… after a couple of hours I fell asleep at the computer)
Well we are a little behind now but we will work hard to catch up with you guys! 😉
Here is our first “tunnel”session after our holiday:
Weaves:
Cik and cap:
Jonina & Jin
Great job! Jin is as amazing as always and you sure fixed the tightness in figure 8s! That’s really tight now! Time to put the bars up some. Great independence in weaves, make the entries more&more extreme. Great drive and accelerations for the tunnel, tight on pulls and crosses. Looks as if you have been training all time 🙂 Really cool!
Great to watch, as usual 🙂
Oh, so nice!! you guys are team!!!
Very very nice Jonina! 🙂 Nice example for watching..
Silvia, this is our slalom trainning from yesterday, Acqua still some times miss the entry whrn the slalom is at her left. Should I close the poles a little or Should I work first from all of the angles?
thanks
Well, you can close some, but you definitely want to work on entries more. In the video, all entries but the one she has problems with (after cik on a jump closest to the camera) are straight… Try putting a mark on the floor and then start her more off line every next try. You can do it with more narrow channel, but you definitely need to do it! No more straight entries anymore!
Silvia Today I tried with entries more like the one she missed in the video, and that is very dificult for us… She missed more that 2 in a row… and more, it´s fine if I helped her with my body, or what should I do?
I didn´t videotaped, I don´t know what I´m doing wrong 🙁
You are jumping steps. On a video, you only did straight entries -- and that very difficult one. You need to add difficulties gradually. Did you see how much I moved Le’s starting position in her 2nd session? That’s how slow you need to progress! Leave a mark on the floor and add angle GRADUALLY.
thank you, I saw your video again, today we did slalom moving just a little the jump, Acqua was great!!!!
I have now a mark on the flor 🙂
Poor Acqua her mama is silly some times
Here comes Toby’s 2nd session on Figure 8
Very cool! Much faster and very tight, especially to the right. Always fun to watch Toby, he sure looks to have lots of fun!
Hi Silvia,
Just wanted to post an update on our cik/cap work. We finally kind of made a break thru. I just wasn’t getting the drive I wanted with the tugs & balls on a rope so I figured out some ways to reward at my side with the regular ball, which brings out her drive better than any other toy. I found that she will drive much harder for a ball even if I just set it down, let her take it from my hand or lob it for her to catch as she gets to my side, so that way I can reward her for tight. As you can see she is much more motivated to move quickly thru the exercises now:) Even with it being VERY hot during all these sessions. I did a few more jumps than I should have at the higher jump, as she was hot & tired by that point. I’ll work on them a lot longer a little lower to get her more confident.
Cool, great commitment and better speed yes. But yes, you do want to stay at 12″ for a while, no need to hurry with height, we still have many other things to address!
LESSON 1. SANNA with Maya (9 months) and Marta (almost 2 years)
HI. I am from Sweden and these are my first dogs. I have been training agility for about one year, Greg Derretts handling.
Here are our cip&cap (Maya first and then Marta). I have problems with speed with the older one. Then Martas weavepoles (I rewarded her for a wrong exit once, missed it).
What do you think?
Cool! Very nice Poodles! You can of course work with both, but choose one to send her videos (or you can enter the second one with 50% discount, but if I allow people to send videos of all their dogs after entering one dog, that would get crazy 🙂 ) Anyway, great job with cik&cap, that’s very tight and really fast -- even the slower one is very fast when chasing you with the toy -- somewhat slower when sent to the jump, so for now start her really close and add distance very gradually to build more speed and commitment. I would also recommend restraining, just as you do with a younger one, it helps with their obstacle focus (and speed as a consequence). Nice weaves too, but do try to test her for staying in with some strange things like turning your shoulders, stopping etc. when she is in.
Hi Silvia! I joined your class yesterday as an auditor and I’m doing my best to go through all the comments and videos right now! How long will I have access to this class. It might take me some time to go through all the comments… 😉
I know, it’ a very active class! I’ll leave the pages up at least 2 months more after we end in October.
Okej, great, thanks Silvia! This is an amazing class. I’m learning a lot about dog training i general, not just agility. 🙂
I’m wondering how you start teaching the tunnel from the very first session? I got a tunnel for this class and my dog only seemed scared of it, so I haven’t tried anything yet. Don’t want to scare him more! 🙂 We are both beginners who have never tried agility before. 🙂
Just keep a tunnel somewhere out all the time so that he starts to see it as just another object. When he is fine passing it etc., you can start shaping him for coming closer, sniffing it, putting a head in, one paw, another etc. You could first try it with a box that you open on both sides so that it creates a kind of a short tunnel, just to get him used to the idea. I usually don’t train at all, my puppies will learn it while playing with other dogs following them through the tunnels -- and we do so many tricks involving strange objects that I never had a dog afraid of tunnels, but I would approach it as any other fear: slowly, no luring, but rewarding for any thought in the right direction. Hope that helps some!