Here comes your second homework!
1. multi-wraps with handler in different positions: set a bar at your current cik&cap height and have a dog do multiple wraps around the wing. Change your position so that you're sometimes on take-off side, sometimes on landing side of the jump. Reward by reaching in with a toy to reward close to the wing. Multi-wraps should always be your first exercise when you put the bars on the next height and you should keep working on them on each height, it's great collection jumping exercise, I actually do some before every training, within our warm-up.
2. cik&cap sequencing: we'll mask this training for different handler positions and moves into a little sequence and include a tunnel for extra fun 🙂 Start with cap on one, try cik with handler on a landing side on 3, a shoulder pull from 4 to 5, cap with a front cross on 5, tunnel again and then push for another cik on 7. Reward in the direction of where I set number 8. Break it down in little parts first.
3. 2on2off vs. running: time to address contacts! Send a video of whatever you've got till now if you are already working on it. If you haven't done anything about it yet, those two videos show first step of 2on2off (at 3:13 of this video) - stopping in the position on a box/upside down drawer:
and running (at 1:30 of this video - I hope it's fine I used your video Gitte 🙂 ) - running over a long carpet:
If you haven't decided yet, you can work on both, using a box or up-side-down drawer for 2on2off and a carpet or a wide, thin plank for running contacts - and then see what you like better.
I am still back here on the lessons…I am having a crazy summer!
I have back tracked with Tovah to no height/very low height with cik and cap. As I go through these exercises I think what I didn;t do when I trained this in the winter was get enough speed/enough coursework before I went up in height. This video shows her doing cik and cap at no height and low heights up to 8 inches (one short clip at 10 inches). Even with no height, some of her turns seem wide. I completed the lesson 2 sequence at no height, was going to wait until I could film it at the other heights, but I thought you would have a good enough idea of what she is doing from the figure 8s.
So I am wondering how I progress from here, what height I should work with now.
here is the clip:
Cool, the sequence where you can use lots of body language too actually went really well and multi-wraps are great too. Figure 8 is the hardest for her, so maybe keep working that one on very low height (4 or 8), while you can do the rest of the work (sequences and multi-wraps) on 10 or 12. If you find a problematic spot in a sequence, put that bar lower, throw in some multi-warps and make sure you keep the criteria “stay tight” clear. Make sure you spread your sequences out enough to work with lots of speed, because that’s definitely the factor that makes her go wide on some places. Meaning that extension-collection exercise (lesson 3) will probably be difficult for her too, so keep the bars low for that one too.
Great, thanks for the feedback! We’ll keep working the fig 8s at lots of distance and move onto the other exercises. I do multiwraps when I see she isn’t turning tight to remind her because she is good at those--they don’t involve running in at speed and collecting which has always been difficult for her.
Sounds like a good plan, I agree!
Hi! Finally took the plunge and sent our latest try of this sequence.
Pam and Arrow
That was really great Pam&Arrow! Really nice, clear handling, very nice wraps and great sends! Looks ready for the next sequence!
Hi Silvia,
Thanks for you feedback on my first post (posted in lesson 1). This is my second video, I’m posting it in lesson two as its some repeat and additions from lesson 1 and new parts from lesson 2. I have tried lower jumps, turning the jumps 90 degrees, some tunnel work and come to hand and the first sequence from lesson 2 (not the whole sequence but most of it). I hope I’m doing all the things you suggested! In the whole training session she didn’t knock down one pole. I didn’t work any weaves in this session but I hope to spend sometime on weaves over the weekend.
As an interesting experiment I decided to try the same sequence with my older dog Maisie. Maisie is a rescue dog, she is around 9 years old but still full of beans. She has been the most fantastic dog and we have an excellent relationship but I haven’t taught her cik/cap. We won out of the early grades together, competed in all kinds of dog sports but I taught her lots of things incorrectly as at the time I didn’t know any better. Luckily she is smart and forgiving so it hasn’t been too detrimental but now we are competing in the higher grades we are finding winning more difficult. The difference in India and Maisie’s turns are unbelievable! I have your DVD and have watched the comparisons but trying it with my own dogs has been a massive eye opener. Guess what I’m teaching Maisie this weekend Maisie may not have the collie speed but with good turns I’m sure we can knock a second or so off her times. I’m converted, from now on I will always teach my dogs cik/cap!!!!!
I look forwards to your comments, help and advice.
Thanks as always,
Louise and India
Multi-wraps on this height sure look great!!! Figure 8 looks great too, time to spread the jumps even more to give her more speed in between. If that goes well, you can raise the bars some for both exercises. Make sure you do some more “digs”, she does look to wrap better on “checks”. You can also practise this at home, with no obstacles, just spinning in one or another direction and/or as a stretching exercise, by holding her rear end and positioning treats at her hips and have her bend her neck and back to get it -- to teach her to bend equally well in both directions. Both are also good warm up exercises before real agility.
Also, you’re sometimes late saying it on figure 8s, you’re often saying the previous cue so long that you’re too late with the next one 🙂 Cik/cap cue ends as the dog’s front feet leave the ground for that jump and as soon as front feet hit the ground again on the other side, you can give your cue for the next jump.
Nice come to hand after tunnel, just somewhat late to cue front crosses sometimes, you need to prepare her better that she can stay close.
And wow, GREAT job with the sequence! That was really cool! Nice to meet Maisie too, she sounds very happy to get to work too 🙂 But yes, she can sure still gain a lot on turns! I started Lo with cik&cap when she was 9 or 10 too, it’s never too late to teach old dogs some new tricks! 🙂
Happy to hear all the bars stayed up, I know how frustrating that one bar down is… Bu rarely has any other problem on a course, but we have had MANY of those one bar down runs… It really improved A LOT with very early cues. While doing spinning exercise for improving flexibility in one direction, you can teach Indie left&right too, so that you can use that when you need extension, but in one or another direction. Bu was mostly knocking on those soft turns where I couldn’t say cik&cap -- left&right cues sure helped to keep the bars up on soft turns too!
Hi Silvia,
Thank you for your comments I will get working on it!
I think I may have confused the situation with lefts and rights and cik/caps. When I first started agility I taught Indie left and right by standing her in front of me and having her spin in each direction and I named it left and right (I actually say ‘this’ and ‘back’ but to keep it simple lets just say left and right!). The problem is I have never used it much on course so I guess she hasn’t really generalised it. Moving on a year so later I discovered cik/cap and I trained it as per your DVD and she understands to go around (collect and wrap) the object (could be a cone, tree jump etc) in the appropriate direction. You got me thinking when you suggested I work on the bending at home without any obstacles and say to her check/dig to get her to spin in front of me – for Indie that would be left and right – I have really confused this for her haven’t I!!!! Do you think I should retrain left and right with a new cue and how would you go about differentiating between cik/cap and left and right? Am I just thinking about this too much?
Its so good to know I’m not the only person who has one jump issues, on most courses unless I get it wrong its the only issue that stops us getting clear rounds.
Thanks as always for your advice.
Louise
Exactly, cik&cap is always around the object, so when I suggested spinning her in front of you to improve cik&cap, I didn’t want t suggest to use cik&cap words, but new, left&right words -- spinning can improve bending and flexibility, so it can improve cik&cap, but it’s NOT cik&cap -- it’s left&right. -- But sounds like she knows that already (under different names), so you could just use your two words for spinning for 1) spinning to improve flexibility and 2) start using them on course. Of course, it will take some trainings before she undersands what you mean (jump in extension in one or another direction) as she only knows the spinning so far, but don’t worry, keep saying it and she will get it at one point. You can speed it the process up by calling directions when you throw ball for her and similar: that’s already closer to agility left&right as spinning, but spinning is exactly how I first teach it too. You can of course use words she knows already. I hope that’s what you were asking -- or…?
Hi Silvia,
Yes thank you that is exactly what I was asking. I’m behind again, I’m travelling with work (in Belgium at moment). I dont worry too much about the dogs as my partner looks after them very well and gives them good exercise but it doesnt help my agility! I’m home on Friday evening so will get back to it for another fews weeks.
Thanks again,
Louise
O.k.! Safe travels!
Hi,
This video shows a preview of my contacts. Not the fastest way, but very consistent.
Hi,
This video shows a preview of my contacts. Not the fastest way, but very consistent.
Looks pretty good top me! 🙂 Great job! Time for some cik&cap!
Sorry this is posted so late. We’ve worked on this sequence a few times, so this is our latest on it. She is still wide on her turns and doesn’t quite understand the verbal cues, but I’ll keep practicing!
Somewhat wide on her first try, but then MUCH better the second time! The wrap on 3 was beautiful! For wraps like that, I would immediately reward for now and later on maybe just say “yes!” and continue, but she needs an info this is what you want! Of course, she still needs lots of multi-wraps and sending to one jump games, but sequencing is good for her too, just make sure you give her some more feedback on good vs. bad wraps, meaning reward the best ones and redo the bad ones. Your handling is nice and fluent, so running the whole sequence is not as important as it is to train her while running it.
Hi,
On medium height it went fine I think. Full height is still difficult…
Yeap, most wraps on medium are pretty nice -- but that first wrap… So I think I would work some more on that height. -- And then raise the bars by max. 5cm: you can’t go from medium to large, it’s completely different way of jumping. Still, his multi wraps are pretty good even on full height, but I think building this more gradually is definitely a better idea. Progressing slowly always takes us to the goal faster as rushing up things.
We are going back and starting from here. Tibby doesn’t know how to cik/cap and I need to work on my handling. She is doing so much better working with me though, so I think we have made some progress.
Tibby really doesn’t like to do multi-wraps -- she thinks she is wrong when I make her go around again and then she shuts down. Is there another way to teach this, without the muti-wraps? Or something?
Am I supposed to switch the ball from one hand to the other? I kind of remember you saying something about that. Hmmmm….but I can’t remember.
Yeap, it sometimes helps with understanding how to do a front cross. But you don’t need to if you find it easier to do it without the change of a toy.
Wow, that’s sure a lot of progress! What a nice speed! And you are doing front crosses now, very cool! I wouldn’t worry about tightness for now, focus on sending aspect of cik&cap. Meantime, you can work on circling an object as a trick, but for now, the most important part is to keep agility fun fun fun. Great job!
Our last video for Lesson 2
We did a few more practice days of Lesson 2 and then moved on to Lesson 3. I’m not sure if we were ready to move on, but I was getting bored with this set up 😛
Very cool! Definitely ready for the next set up! I would keep the sessions even shorter, though, her motivation is going somewhat down towards the end.
Ok Thank you! 🙂
Silvia,
We are still on the road and not doing ANY dog training… but my daughter and I have been discussing cik & cap the words and she feels strongly that we need to change the words (to be less nonsensical for us) to zig & zag… I don’t care, but my question is how much will Stella care at this point… seeing as cik & cap is still completely a work-in-progress and pretty hit & miss still… or perhaps is she grasping it enough to now completely confuse her and set us back too much????
Dinah
Sure, I think you can easily change the words, those sounds close enough that I think she won’t care. Safe travels, I’m sure Stella must be missing her training time!