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!
Here a summary of some Dinamit’s waeves poles training, since the first time I added six poles, to now.
We have a lot of training to do. For independance, speed and reliability.
She is very focused on my body language. I must to improve that thing.
Yeap, some more work needed… But getting there 🙂
hi all
here we are again, this time whit more work,
some jump work and tunnel this time.
cheers sinead
adorable!
Way to go Mr Murph. His cik and cap are really tight!!
O my! I just came in from doing cik/cap with Tibby in the dark. It was so much fun! I think she finally gets it. There was enough light from our neighbor’s porch light to kind of see in the dark, but not light enough that Tibby could go off doing zoomies.
Ugh! But it is still so hot and humid 🙁 Too hot to run around for very long….but fun while it lasted.
Also, I bought Tibby a pig ear and put it on a rope. She doesn’t like it! So I put peanut butter on it. She still doesn’t like it! She wants to lick the peanut butter, but isn’t excited about the pig ear at all.
Ha, I tried the pig’s ear too, didn’t work either 🙂 Buddy just gave me a look like “Why are you dragging that through the dirt?”
Yeah, it only works with dogs who don’t like toys so much but LOVE food… It’s really important to find something the dog REALLY loves that you can use…
Yeah, I often train in almost-dark too, I’m always amazed at how well the dogs see in dark (but I’m often very close to crashing into something…), so I don’t think it was the dark that kept her with you, I think she was just having fun too and didn’t see any reason to go off for zoomies. You don’t want to do agility for very long anyway, so it was good to keep it short. A ball is probably the way to go with her, she always looked much happier about the ball as about food, so I don’t think food will work.
httpv://youtube.com/watch?=p8Eub75WeJw?hd=1
Today I worked on tunnel sends with Matilda. She was very interested in the toy I was holding, but she did get excited to go into the tunnel, too.
With the cik&cap this time I put more distance between the two poles. Matilda seems to be making pretty tight turns, I think. Though I’ve named the turn cues cik and cap, at this point Matilda is really only going off my body cues. I get mixed up sometimes, too.
Liza and Matilda
I’ll try video again.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Eub7
I hope this works.
She is sooo cute running so fast! I LOVE her speed, but I think she could be tighter as that… Maybe she really needs more multi-wraps and clicking for tightness before we can add that much speed. You can do some multi wraps too, but maybe somewhat closer afterall, with all that speed, she does get thrown out of the turn, she needs some more work on collection. But we sure got the important part: the speed and enthusiasm! It was really fun to watch her having so much fun! Great job!
We’re working on multi-wraps again. This weekend we’re trialing. On Monday we’ll get back to cik&cap.
Liza
Hi Silvia,
You didn’t comment on our tunnel sends. Were they all right?
Thanks.
Liza
Yeap, very nice! 🙂
I agree, that was so cute!
Thank you.
And my last video…. One day agility training with Dinamit at the club.
I’ve posted all the training of this day, because I think it’s a good representation of where we are in agility.
Oh, Sorry for the wind and my crazy barky dog ^_^
Cool! Loved the speed and craziness 🙂
Hi there Silvia. well 1stly it has taken us i while to get video onto the computer as that has given me some trouble so here goes. i am quite criticle of what i see of myself and you will see not so good with some of the moves! Spy too was quite unsure of what we where up too at 1st but day by day seems to be gaining on the day before. she has never really done the equipment even though i do have my own so here goes!
I added the cones next too the jump as that is what i used so much of for the beggining of Tip and tuck and when i 1st tried her just on the jump she did not get it so well. i have mixed around with restraining and free send into jump and with throughing the ball and holding and letting her chase me which she has not been too sure about perhaps because of the RC and throughing the ball.
The video is our 1st attemp of x 8 which was yesterday late.
Our weaves, we have done channel but for a couple of months now none at all so got them set up again and have started with the entries as i did not want to do too much before now as she is now just 18 months.
Our tunnel not too exciting yet, but today i think better.
cool thank you so much Alicia
Great job!!! Perfect wraps on one jump, some wraps on figure 8 could be better, but the trend is good, so do a couple of more sessions like that and then add some height. The tunnel exercise is going well too, she is responding really well to your handling: the drive for the tunnel could still be better, but I have no doubt it will come soon 🙂 Have fun! -- It’s funny to see you in coat and hat while the rest of us is discussing problems with heat 🙂
Thank you silvia wow this has given me a lot of confidence and we are loving AF it is such fun starting with jumps and tunnel. The day i took the video it was only just above 0 it was freezing!
Looks great! Good idea to put the cones next to the wings 🙂
Thank you Camilla
Hi Silvia,
I hope I am not posting this twice but here it goes :
1st video :
some kik (right) and tap (left), as you will see I am speechless on the 3rd attempt and use the wrong cue once but I don’t want to give up on myself yet..
You will also see that she looses interest in the toy at the end and that I have to switch to ball and food for the 2nd video about tunnel work.
-- Am I cheerleading too much ?
-- Does sheloose interest because of the way I play ?
2nd video :
some tunnel work. I keep forgetting to restrain her. Will try to remember on the next session.
3rd video :
weave entries. I have notice that she is faster in the weave if she has a ball to follow while she is in the channel.
-- Should I throw the ball sooner to increase her speed ?
-- Or should I throw the ball later as a reward like in your video ?
Thanks a lot !
Claire
Claire—Well, maybe your dog wasn’t interested in the tug toy but mine sure was! She jumped in my lap and pushed her nose to the computer screen when she heard the squeaky sound! 🙂
Your dog is so CUTE!
Thanks ! It’s raining now and I’ve been practicing letting her win the toy and strutting around with it for a while in the living room, we’ll see if that helps outside later..
With the channel, I usually only throw in advance at the very beginning, but if she likes it, you can vary some and sometimes throw early and sometimes only when she is out. She does seem to like this game. Cik&cap is nice and tight too, you can throw in some figure 8s too, just keep it short. With play, you need to experiment some. If she prefers a ball, you can use that instead. Many dogs prefer that over tugging and that’s fine. Tugging is useful for come to hand exercise, the rest you can easily do with a ball. Maybe switch back and fourth (before she looses interest) so that it keeps her interested. No problem if you talk to her!
Thanks so much !
Hi Silvia,
Here is a video of Daly interrupting her circling to come to me when I reach her side before the end of her circling. Is she really supposed to finish her circling before running to me even if I have run past her already when she is starting her circling ?
Thanks,
Claire
Yes, I do teach them to be able to run in the other direction as I am, but of course, you don’t need to take it to an extreme. She has pretty good commitment already, but a little bit more would be even better 🙂
Hi Silvia,
Here is a video of Daly doing her kip-kap without respecting my indication for direction (I am sure it’s my fault but I’ll let you tell me what it is).
It could be related to the fact that before the foundation class, I always made her do her kik-cap (wheter multi-wrap or not) in a way that she would come back towards me with me staying in the same spot. Here is a diagram of our relative position most of those times :
> > > >
^ v
^ Cone v
| v
|
Dog Me
Should I not do these 180 degree kik-cap anymore or do them differently ? I wouldn’t want her to be confused like this in a competition. How do I garantee that ?
Thanks,
Claire
P.S. here is the video :
Tunnel video as promissed yesterday!
He sure seems to like his new tunnel! Now that he doesn’t seem to have any problem with the tunnel, don’t click exiting the tunnel, but whatever you do next: either front cross or a shoulder pull or a “go”. For first two, always call him to one side (facing the same direction as he is, NOT facing him) and then sharply turn for 180 degrees on one spot, either towards him so that he is then on your other side and you reward there (that’s called front cross) OR away from him so that you circle with him and he stays on the same side (that’s called shoulder pull). Click for staying close to your hand and reward from one hand, at the side (not facing him).