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 Silvia & Everyone,
Here is our first practice video. We are still very much in the baby step stages as yesterday was her first time trying jumps, weaves & her second time in a curved tunnel. But I wanted to make sure we are on track. We still need a lot more cik/cap work as we just started this and don’t yet have it on command yet. She is pretty good wrapping left, not as good right. But not bad I think for our first try? I did not push too much for sends, but will work on it gradually. I think I should work more on just doing the cik/cap (w/multiple circles) with the jump to get her more confident and faster before focusing too much on sending?
I apologize for the tunnel filming, half of the time you can’t see my front crosses or pulls, but we can just imagine they are perfect:) Again I did not send from far because I focused more on her being happy and getting faster, but she was getting it. Next time I promise to get better filming where you can see both of us.
Weaves I was very pleased with, her first time in the channel and she pretty much generalized the plank work game, if I run straight thru these things I get my ball. I will work on building my handler variables and on varying her starting positions. But I don’t anticipate it being hard, I think I can see why weaves are not hard for you to perfect, I have trained channels before but never with a dog I have done plank work with. All that work seems to make this exercise make perfect sense to her.
I hope it’s ok that I edited and just showed the exercise clips, I see most everyone else is filming their whole sessions. I spend a lot of time playing with her between each one that if I keep it all in I am afraid my video will be much too long. Can you see enough of what you want by what I posted? Would prefer I post it all?
Wouah, I’m really impressed of your dog’ve done for the 1st time. You seem to be a happy team ! You’re really nice to watch 🙂
Thank you! We love to play:)
You said most of it already! You need some more work on cik&cap (name it as soon as possible!) to be able to send more and have better speed and commitment. Also, she seems to have a preference for balls over tug toys? What if you use a ball on a string, throw it after cik&caps and tug when she brings it back? Her speed chasing you with a tug toy is nothing compared to her speed in a channel, so I would try with a ball, throwing it as soon as she catches up (so yes, you still need to run! 🙂 )
The rest looks great, I agree that plank work helps with weave training, it’s the same thinking behind it 🙂 You can definitely add movement and maybe even slight angles on the approach -- and then more&more if that goes well.
And yes, sure, it’s o.k. to edit videos!
Oh yes, she will drop off the end of the earth for a ball. She likes tug just fine but it doesn’t make her shift into high gear like a ball. I have tried a couple versions on ball on a string and so far the only one she will tug on is one with a bigger rope and it obviously doesn’t fly quite right because she doesn’t chase it with the same intensity as a regular ball. She won’t yet tug on the ball, she is a little petite and I don’t think she can’t grip it well for tug? I’ll sure keep trying though, because you are right it would be great to have that drive for the tighter work. I did just get a nice smaller ball that she likes to catch and it has a hole in it, so I am going to play around with somethings to see if I can find something she’ll tug that still flies fast.
Thanks for the tips!
Dawn, nice work! You may look for a toy called ‘tennis tail’ made my premier pet products. Great combo of ball and tug. you can roll up the tail before you throw. It won’t fly exactly like a ball but she may enjoy tugging with you, maybe it will bring out a little prey drive. Lois
Thank you Lois,
I have the same exactly problem than Dawn.
Yesterday we were training with a tug but the ball was 5 meters far away laying on the grass…Well I sent him to the cip&cap he just jumped over the bar and went straight to get his ball leaving me there with an astonish face looking at him who came back waging his tail with the ball in his mouth!!! I have just bought two of them online! 🙂
I got them Yesterday. The first one lasted about half an hour…:(. I will spare the second one for a better occasion.
Eva.
Have you tried the “Wubba”? It’s made by “Kong”.
That might work for you. or you can get a “Tuffball” which is an extra hard tennis ball, then drill 2 holes in it and knot 2 fleece strips through it, kind of like making/braiding a tail.
Wow Dawn! She goes so fast through the weaves!! Loved watching your video!
Here is some video of me experimenting with some new ways to play with Leia from every ones suggestions. My mechanics need work but, in general it seems to be going better. I feel terrible that I was causing Leia so much confusion but, better to know and try to fix it then to never realize it at all. I’m really enjoying all of the discussion about motivation and figuring out what works for each individual dog. I too sometimes find myself envious of the dogs who have lots of drive and make everything look so easy but I agree that we learn the most from our struggles. Some amazing incite revealed here in just a few days of the 1st lesson. I LOVE these classes! In retrospect I see how I got caught up on some of those dangerous dog training “general truths” Silvia posted about today. I saw Leia as a low drive dog and was so focused on getting tug drive and doing XYZ that I thought you were suppose to do with low drive dogs that I didn’t even see the problem it was causing. I forgot all about letting Leia tell me what worked and didn’t work for her. I just hope the alarm bells start ringing in MY head the next time I hear some general truth about dog training…
Cool, very interesting video on how touching a ball immediately gives you some of the same reaction! Two balls were extra good idea and tug toy worked well, no problem if she takes it away some first -- as she then brings it back nicely! Great job! Nice job with the exercises too, loved the handling after the tunnel, very nice!
Don’t worry about making mistakes, I think dogs understand we’re still learning too! Sometimes when I click too late, I almost see them saying -- “don’t worry about that late click, I know what you’re going for” 🙂
Great! What a progress to your last video! I have also a low drive dog in the parcour. She runs very fast when she is playing with our other Sheltie, and yesterday, when I tried the lessons I was very disappointed how bad it worked. I stopped, and immediately she was running as crazy with my other dog. I called her back, and out of this running I let her do the homework. Her wraps were to wide, but she was fast and happy, and I was happy! I hope I can tape this today or tomorrow, and show on the video.
Sounds good, it would be great if you could transfer that same running into agility! If you have a tunnel, you can play with that a little too, have them both chase each other through a tunnel and have fun with it -- I sometimes do it with my dogs, they love it.
LOVE IT! Great job, Mara! I’d love to know how you got to having her bring the toy back after she wins. If I let Da Vinci win, he does the “victory lap”, stashes the toy and then returns to me. He is better, but not reliable so sometimes I’m just stuck and if I wait him out, he just lays down and gnaws away on the toy.
Your training looks really good. I like using a trick right at the start with Cash like you did. He stresses when I set him up for a start line. The trick seems to help him start in motion and then we just start running. Good job!
Kristin
Thanks Kristin! It has taken a while to get Leia to bring the toy back after she wins. She LOVES to steal things and prance around with them with her tail in the air. I think she had lots of practice doing that before I got her. I remember from seeing Silvia’s seminar that she says it’s just the dog doing victory laps and that it will go away eventually as they learn it’s more fun to play with you then by themselves. Knowing that made me feel better about it and I haven’t made too much of a big deal about it but, did end the session if it took too long for her to bring it back.
I had also learned the starting with a trick for Ace my softie/stress boy and it’s worked well for him at trials too. No time to stress just time for tricks and go!
So, if you end the session for that reason, do you just leave her with the toy?
Hi Kristin,
If you go back to Mara’s first video, I think on the previous page, that’s where we had a good discussion about playing and giving back the toy.
Yeah, I don’t worry about victory laps, I will even join in the fun, laughing at the dog and saying “wow, look what you’ve got!”. I like to be in their picture of having fun and don’t want to be the bad guy, stopping the fun. I’ll go get the toy if they start chewing on it, but running around with it… I think it’s cute. They are usually back soon -- to win again 🙂
Hi Mara,
Stealing laundry (dirty socks) used to be the only game Buddy knew too. That was maybe the only way he got attention with his previous owners. So he had a great time playing Keep Away. I would just let him have the sock and made him run after me. Eventually he got the idea that playing with me was more fun, but he is still not very toy driven.
I love your video, it shows great problem solving skills!
Jen
Here is our first homework in this class.
We did the cik & cap training with only one jump, one day before this video was taken.
GREAT speed -- but could probably still be tighter… I don’t see well from that angle, but the 1:41 turn for example is definitely wider as you would eventually want -- so maybe some more work on just one jump first? VERY nice handling (and very nice understanding from her part) on the tunnel exercise!!!
Wow Gitte you’re doing great! See you at a couple of days at the Daniacup! 😀 😀
So Silvia: on Friday, the 8th of July, till Sunday, the 17th of July, I don’t have access to internet because we are in Danmark.
Monday the 18th and Tuesday the 19th Jin and I will follow a seminair here in Holland from Polona Bonac, so no time (and energy I think) to do homework on those days but we can/will read the homework of our classmates then! Wednesday the 20th we will start with our homework again!
O.k., enjoy the trip and the seminar! I’m sure Polona will be giving you some similar homework 🙂 Did you try multi-wraps in figure 8 already or will you do it then?
Thanks! 😀
Yep we tried it this morning (and we will try it again this evening. )
I think the problem is when I send her -like in figure 8- she doesn’t run straight to the pole but she bends a little and then she goes wider. (And I am really trying to send her as straight as possible with my bodylanguage!! ) This morning I guided her more by holding her on her harness and lead her with a straight aproach towards the pole and that went better. 😀
I try to practice cik and cap and weaves once a day- sometimes twice -- to keep up with this class! I also film every session to see what could possibly go wrong and if I see some progress.
( I won’t post everyone though 😉 )
Later this week we will post a video, for now I am too busy watching and reading all of the homework from our classmates!
Yeap, that sounds like the right thing to do! Happy reading! 🙂
Hi Silvia,
Here is the second session of weave training, adding more difficult entries. Sorry some of it was cut off but I am using a stationary camera. Also, I got a new camera and it doesn’t work with my old editing software so this is the first video with the new camera. Unfortunately, I don’t know the editing software very well yet so this is unedited. I will learn how to edit with this soon and can cut out the boring parts. I did video some cik/cap with no bars and multi-wraps but the video did not import so I will have to try again tomorrow. Bottom line is that she got frustrated and tried new things when I ask for multi-wrap around stanchion. She did find with it around cones but for the jump stanchion she thinks she should get a reward after every one. If I did not reward her she would go around the back. I will try again tomorrow and will put on video. Anyway, here are her weave entries that are tougher. Do you think I should start to close the channel yet? Right now it is about as wide as her or maybe a little less.
Thanks!
Good! Was goo to make it easier when she missed the entry twice in a row. Make them harder gradually enough that she is mostly successful, but do make them harder for every try. But yes, I don’t like to stay at the same width too long, so maybe you could put a channel A LITTLE closer.
To get multi-wraps on stanchion, click the first wrap, but then throw a toy so that she needs to do 1/4 of a second circle -- and then start clicking later and throwing a toy so that she needs to do 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 of a second circle… -- until you have two.
Hello everyone,
Here is my 1st video of 3 sessions doing cic-cap. We’ve only done around trees and other obstacles before these sessions. I was a bit confused in Session 1, but think I have improved some by session 3. I don’t think I’m releasing the toy soon enough and I think I could add some distance. I think Speed would enjoy the figure 8 next. He doesn’t like a lot of repetition especially in the heat. Thank you.
Sure, make sure to keep it short and fun, especially in heat!!! But he sure looks fast and happy to me! Try to check videos of others too and next try those approaches to the jump too, not just a straight approach (meaning turn the jump for 1/4 of a circle, so that he comes from the side). You can also add more distance yes and start to work on commitment, by starting to leave earlier. You can also mix in some figure 8s, sure!
HELP!!!
I feel like we really got stuck with the cik and cap now 🙁
The first time I say “cik” ( or “cap”) she does them wider as when I say it the 2th/3rd/4th time with multiwraps. I’m afraid we didn’t do enough homework before the class started. (shame shame)
I say “jaaa” in the video (wich means “yes”) but I’m saying that so Jin thinks she is doing a great job. Actually I think: “NOOOOOOOOOOOO…. what do I do wrong?”
I feel like I am clicking for way to much bad ciks and caps!
Hm, how about always starting with some multi wraps, then sending to the second jump, doing some multi wraps there, then back to the first one for some more multi-wraps… -- And then reduce the number of those if that goes well -- meaning that if already the first one is tight, you either reward or send to another jump -- and if not, you ask for another wrap and only keep going if it’s good. Also, you can help her some more to be tight by first starting very close to the jump and showing her the reward on the other side of a stanchion so that she makes some extra effort and only then add more distance and start figure 8s.
Here’s some video of Bree doing tunnel sends and poles. I think the training is going better than the technology. The video seems a bit choppy to me, especially in the poles. Will try to clean that up next time.
I’m just beginning to run again after an ankle injury mid April so had some anxiety about the FC after the tunnel. And I should probably work on my ‘happy’ voice with the tunnel. :))
There’s one unfortunate section in the poles, where I try multiple times to get an entry. I thought I was moving closer each time to make it easier but apparently I was overlooking something. Seems to me what I taught her in that section was to stop in the poles when my body motion stopped, which might not have been desirable.
She’s developed a little tendency to skip poles, especially if it’s a fast straight entry (like the first one on the video). I assume the little whiz kid just thinks it’s faster that way. Any suggestions?
Bree learned in channel poles, but I didn’t realize I could do entry work before the poles were closed. I did some early entry work with 3-4 poles, but if I try that now it seems to encourage skipping when I put her back in 12 poles. At this point, with the poles being closed now for the past year, what is the best way to work on entries?
Many thanks!
Very cool, great speed, great tunnel sends, very tight on shoulder pulls and FCs. Can’t wait to see cik&cap too!
Nice weaving style, but yes, some more work for the entries needed and for some extreme handler distractions 🙂 -- Just add it slowly enough for her to have high successful rate. I would probably keep working on closed weaves when you use it in sequences in your normal trainings, but when focusing on entries and doing many repetitions, I would go back to somewhat open channel to not do too much weaving. Try to provoke mistake of skipping poles when in a hurry by pushing her with you sprinting past her, throwing toys, weaving with toys in front of her nose, starting her from a straight tunnel etc. -- reward if she passes the test, redo if she doesn’t. Eventually they learn they don’t get anywhere if they’re too much in a hurry 🙂
Here’s my video of a tunnel session. I tried to edit out all the tugging, but he did stay motivated all the way through. I’m really bad at the front cross like move and need more time on that. Nero seems to be good when I’m correct. At the beginning you’ll see us crash, but he bounces back quite nicely.
Nancy
That’s a good start, but try to use less toy and more just hand and only then give a toy, he seems so much into chasing that toy that he is not really learning to come to hand… Less toy, a verbal for coming to hand and practising your FC would be your next goal with this exercise!
Thanks--It’s sure easy to see on the video when you point it out! Nero just learned how to swim so he’s all cool and silly so I’ll step into the yard and see what happens. Nancy
Hi Silvia & classmates,
Here is my first video doing cik&cap. I think I should probably be doing more running but this area we’re working in is very uneven & not very big. 🙂 Hopefully I will have a better area to work in soon. But I wanted to post this to make sure I’m not doing something really wrong at this stage & to get some advise.
Thanks!
I have really enjoyed watching everyone’s videos. They have been very helpful to a beginner like me!
Great job! You are sometimes a little late throwing a ball/running away and she needs to check back with you, but it’s just a little detail, the big picture is great 🙂 -- you can add some height! Turning back to you is normal at the beginning stages -- but it goes away if you don’t reward it and always send her right back. You could reward yes when she changes her mind and takes it anyway, that was really smart!
Great job, Kathy! She sure seems to like the figure 8 exercise. What a happy little worker!
Here is our third session -- unedited. I will work on learning the new software this weekend. The iMovie I was using was not compatible with the new camera. Anyway, here is a little of each task. I started with Spritz just to see how he would do and to get a feel for a very high energy very fast dog doing it. Synergy thinks a little more but is also very fast when she is playing fetch. I am working on transferring that speed to agility. Spritz was just born with it. Anyway, here’s the video. I think she is doing very well with her weave poles. This is her third time and she is already learning great independence.