As you did so good with your first homework, you're getting some more this time 🙂 I again marked the ones to focus on first. Post wherever you end up, we learn the most through problems, so you want to post those too! 🙂
1. experiment with different toys and ways to play with your dog. Tape his favourite game to give some new ideas to other participants (and me!!!)
2. instead of a plate, find something a little higher this time to give them a better feeling of where to keep their front legs, click first for front feet on an object (should be easy, you want the same thing as on a plate) and then observe hind legs and click for ANY movement (even just a weight shift) and then shape from there for more&more steps around the object. I first click both directions and once I get a quarter of a circle, start clicking one direction only and reward with a head away from me in order to get a full circle. The final goal is full circle in both directions, with you static (don't help the dog to circle with your movement!) - I think those that have my heeling video can already do that exercise, though 🙂
3. take the plate and hold it in different positions to see if the dog understands it's the same thing even when you hold it higher, under angle, to his left/right etc. Try when he is standing, sitting and lying down. If you didn't name touching an object with a paw, it's time to do it now! Also, try to change objects for this exercise, sometimes also use a hand as a paw target. Once he can do all that, you're ready for next two tricks we will get out of the paw touch:
- crossing paws: tell the puppy to down (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then hold the plate (or, you can use another, smaller and more convenient object, like a plastic lid or a piece of paper) close to left paw and only reward touching it with left paw. Then hold it closer and closer to right paw, still only reward left paw touches, then hold it on right paw and eventually on the other side, jackpoting the touches of left paw on a right paw now in order to eventually get rid of a target.
- sit up: tell the puppy to sit (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then put the plate (or just use the hand if he will recognize that as a target) low enough first that he can reach it with a paw, but then every next time, hold it a little higher - not that high that he would stand up, but high enough that the other leg leaves the ground a little bit too. Jackpot.
4. observe your puppy and try to find situations when he would back up - it usually happens when they're moving out of your way - or sometimes when you're working on ignoring the food in the hand. You can try to sit down on the floor with treats in your hand and click first step back with hind foot. Don't wait for more than one as they usually sit down then. Click&reward the first one and reward by throwing a treat towards the dog. Rewarding at distance will help you add more&more steps and more&more distance from you. At one point, switch to rewarding with a toy, it's easier to throw.
5. 2on2off - find an object big enough for the dog to go on with all 4 feet easily - maybe just put your first 4in object upside down? - Click for 2-3 legs on and then don't click the fourth one, you don't want any duration standing there! Only click again when the dog is leaving the object, try to catch him with 2 front feet on the ground and deliver the treat while he is still in this position. You want them go on an object and off immediately, stopping with front feet on the ground. Click&reward several times for a position, then say "go"/"o.k."/"free"/whatever your release word will be and throw a treat away so that he needs to leave the position to get it. Do this enough times that the dog starts to expect the thrown treat after "go", so that then you don't need to throw it in advance, but only after he leaves the position on "go". Do not help with body language that you want him to leave after "go" - if he doesn't know it yet, go back to throwing a treat and progress more slowly.
Last call for 
Sorry, messed that one up. HERE is the crossing paws one. My bird is again helping me train. Pay no attention to the wrong clicks.
Such an animated boy. Love his crossed paws. Oh, aren’t sighties wonderful?
I agree! I definitely want one once! We don’t see many here, especially not in performance homes, but I have a couple of whippets in agility class and they’re so much fun!
I saw a long-haired-whippet on the last DogDance Competition. I didn’t know that they exist ! And he is a very smart working dog.
They exist??? Anybody has a picture? And yes, I’m always amazed by how good working dogs they are, what a drive!
Just reading through all of our classroom information again and I came across this discussion. The dog you’re talking about is called the silken windhound. They were developed from whippets and borzoi. Here’s a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silken_Windhound
R.
Wow, his paw crosses look great with those long legs! When he keeps the position, keep rewarding until he holds it, so that he gets the idea that staying like that is good.
This is the sitting up where I hold up the plate. He is doing nicely but he is balancing on my hand. Is that wrong?
Great! Leaning is o.k. for now, but you can start clicking when you feel he is leaning some less now.
This is where we are so far! Posted videos of both pups so you could critique us even more! Can’t wait for your input! Thanks so much!
Heidi is rocking these games! So is Rocket. I’m especially impressed with the small box that Heidi can put all her feet into.
Rachel
Thanks! I enjoy watching yours too! I don’t think Heidi likes the little plastic box because itb is slippery. May try to find small cardboard box!
Great sit up! Very close to holding it on her own already, what a good balance! With paw crossing, try to insist she is touching a target or your hand, not your arm, as that will make it harder to get the paw on the right spot. Great job with 2on2off, but try to reward with lower head -- I usually simply throw treats between their front feet for 2on2off. Nice understanding of a stay until the release already! Great job with pivoting, but keep practising to get even more speed and fluency. Nice 4in too, no balancing problems, time to challenge her some more with even smaller box! Great job also with your boy, I’m sure he is glad that he can go to puppy class too 🙂
Our final video for lesson 2, because tomorrow I go to a DogDance-Night tournament for the week-end! First trip for Ayoka with my mini-camper!
We worked on every trick. At some we still need some more work, but I am very contend. The ‘sit preatty’ is also doing better now!
What a smart puppy — look at that nice Sit Pretty!!
Can’t wait to watch yours! Can’t play some of them on my iPad and I have company sleeping in the computer room! Think I am rather addicted to checking everyones posts as I want my company to wake up so I can get to my computer! Hope you have a fun dancing weekend! Stacey
Have a nice trip! Great job with the tricks, almost there with paw crossing! Once you get 2on2off position, don’t click for 2/3/4 paws on anymore, it only makes her slower going into the position. Only reward when in a position (preferably with a head low) and then out of position for leaving on a release word. Pivoting, I would for now mostly be doing full circles without you moving, to get more fluency and have her really think about her hind feet. Getting there with a sit up! Very nice back! Give her some more room now to add some more steps! And well, she is just too funny with that pig! I guess they’re good friends by now 🙂
Thanks Silvia. We will go an with your information. For the full Circle , should Ayoka come at my side ( I’m standig static) and I click if she is closing up to my side or should she do the circle complete without me?
For now, we do complete circles (ideally even two or three in a row -- see Els’s video) to get fluency, speed and smoothness. So you need to stand far enough that she can pass you 🙂
Oh my gosh! What a doll! And smart as can be!
Woo Hoo. We have Like buttons!! (Pls don’t bust my bubble and tell me they’ve been there all along…)
Thanks for pointing them out to me as I didn’t even notice them! Stacey
I already recognized that yesterday! Very Good Silvia!
Yeap, found them just for you 🙂
Hello Silvia and everybody,
here is finally the video with the favourite games of Revi. She surely most loves running…so it’s maybe a bit strange, but the thing she really loves most, is agility 🙂 she barks and barks and “attacks” the obstacles when we are placing them. She gets very excited for this, more then for any other kind of game …
bye,
Rebekka
Very cool! She sure looks like a very happy puppy, she is really lucky to have found you! 🙂 And what a speed, she moves really nicely and efficiently, low to the ground -- very good for such a young puppy! Great job with cik&caps, just remember to keep it short 🙂 Why do you reward with food, not a toy? And yes, she does look like a cat in her sofa trick! 🙂
I think I am rather lucky to have found her !!!!
When I reward with a toy, she doesn’t understand she “looses” it again after playing and then after two times or so, she becomes kind of unsure. Very strange…but food she really “gets” and that she likes !
Strange… And the same thing happens if you exchange a toy for food? Meaning you first reward with a toy, but when you want to take the toy, you offer her food as an exchange? I always do that with my puppies until they understand a “drop” cue doesn’t mean the end of a play, but is just the beginning of a new game 🙂
Aha -- this is exactly what my dog is doing. Sometimes what Silvia suggests works, but usually not
You two are a darling team and with that energy (both of you) what fun you shall have!
oh wow !
You two have a fantastic future ahead of you. Well done !
Love your jump work at the end, is that something we are going to learn?
Oh to be young and fit, go girl !
LOL -- that was as fun video to watch -- she is such a cute puppy and so energetic and happy!
thanks, Cindy, yes she really is such a puppy..
Rebekka
Great video. Not sure which of you is having the most fun ;-). LOVE watching the puppy agility course. Wow she’s a fast and happy little puppy and already loves her Cik/Cap!!
Thanks Rachel, we are having lots of fun indeed 🙂
How funny ist this jumping on the seat! It seems like a big cat!!! so cute powerfull puppy!
Here is our second lesson video. He definitely isn’t doing rapid circles on the bowl! But we’ll work on it this weekend..
I am not sure how my video got inserted in the middle of the conversation! Sorry about that!
You actually all got really a lot of hind feet movements already, it’s often really hard for them to understand you are clicking hind feet -- IF not clicked for hind feet before! Some more practice is all he needs now for more fluency. Great job with other tricks too! The one thing I would focus on some though is speed. Try to jackpot the fastest tries and mix in more toy rewards to get more power out of him. I think he will add more once he knows the behaviours better and doesn’t need to think so much anymore, but playing more in between and getting extra excited about the fastest tries will definitely help too.