You definitely look ready for the next to-do list! I'll be answering your questions and comment videos till Friday 29th. Then I'm leaving for EO and have the camp after that, so we'll be on break till 15th August so that everybody can catch up - or you can just master the old tricks some more 🙂 I like those breaks as they take some pressure off and I can always see a huge progress after the break! The second week of this lesson will be from 15-21st August, with no video commenting in between.
1. take your dog to a city center, a store that allows dogs (pet store?) and on a train station
2. position yourself next to a high target and now only click for circling all the way to your leg (don't click for steps in between) - name it with heel for one side and something else for the other and have a dog follow your leg when you move in a circle around the target away from the dog - then tell him to come to the other side and have him follow the other leg. Use different targets, try it on a very low one too.
3. build your own cavaletti and walk the dog over it - you can use the drawers or boxes of appropriate size and height, put them in a row and walk the dog through, just as you can see on 
4. try the other version of 2on2off: instead of having them go on an object and off, stop in a position and wait, let's try stepping back into 2on2off this time. Position your dog close to a low object behind his back (maybe just a folded blanket or a low pillow first!), cue him "back" and reward for stepping on an object or trying to. Slowly, you can have a dog step on higher&higher objects - this is beginning of a handstand, but with young puppies, don't overdo the height. Instead, you can have them back up stairs for example, to challenge them some more without making it too physically demanding. You need to build balance and strength slowly enough for the dog to never be sore after. You can also teach them a "pee" trick: click when they heave one leg, searching the object - before they find it and name it, it's a fun one.
5. put your paw target on a drawer or doors or simply shape the paw touch to a drawers/doors and then select for stronger&stronger touches/pushes. The goal is to have the dog slam the doors or a drawer with power, to teach them that they control the movement under their feet and the sound and that it's FUN - my favourite trick for a great see-saw!
6. don't forget on recalls and playing!!! Also, slowly add duration to a sit up, teach crossing paws with the other paw and fade the target, check if the puppy will stay in 2on2off position until "go" even with distractions (toys and food flying around) - we'll need that for next lesson!
Have fun!
2on2off progression into handstand:
Hi Silvia! Could you explain how I introduce pivoting the other direction. Heidi is only going one way. She doesn’t get up there and start spinning but will go half way and usually if I click and treat she will spin the rest of the way. Definitely getting faster but I wasn’t sure if I should start the other direction and how. Do I stop doing the direction she is getting better at or? Thank you, Stacey
I guess I would wait she does one full circle in one direction first and then try for another one in another session, not rewarding the first direction at all. To prevent her from keeping to spin in that direction, set the target next to the wall, so that at one point, she can’t go on in that direction anymore… And she might step back away from the wall in the other direction and you can then jackpot that and then shape from there for more&more steps. Hope that helps!
Thanks! She started offering full circles this morning! Will try again next session then start in on other direction! You said it helps to share problems so any suggestions for Rocket’s great enthusiasm! When I show him the target he is so excited when he goes to touch he is very rough. If his nails hit me I get nasty scratches. Any way to let him know he can use dainty touches or maybe I should wear gloves! Ha Ha! Stacey
Yeah, gentle is hard for some dogs 🙂 I had this problem with Bi, her paws are really dangerous! 🙂 So with her, I used a cooking ladle so that my hands were far enough. Flies racket or anything on long handle works too!
Here is a lesson 3 video.
Should I be clicking for getting into 2on2off position? or for backing into 2on2off? Backing up stairs seemed easier or clearer to him than backing onto his platform for some reason (no video of that, we did it afterwards).
Also, should he be holding the sit up position on cue with no target? Is that the goal? Same for crossed paws?
Thanks!
Very nice heeling position! Too cute with the doors slamming! Almost there with the sit up! We want backing into 2on2off now, but you can definitely do it with stairs instead of his platform if that makes more sense for him! The next step would then be something even taller so that he needs to heave his legs even more. Should be easy as he is lifting them really well already for his platform. Just make sure he starts with different legs, he does seem to have a slight preference for left leg lifts. It’s normal they have a preference, but it’s important they can use both legs equally well!
How do I “make sure he starts with different legs”? Should I ignore him when he lifts the left leg first and hope he tries with the right instead? Thanks!
Just try starting him so that one leg is closer to an object than the other -- so somewhat diagonally to the object.
Hi Silvia
Will you be commenting all friday? Or is thursday the last day of commenting this week?
No, I’m gone Friday, so Thursday is the last day.
So far so good :o)
So far so good! 🙂 Getting there with pivoting, but make sure you stand more to the side of a target, not behind it as it promotes her to be too much infront. Her paws should be where your heels are so that her shoulder is where your knee is -- not infront of it, but side to it -- and hind feet are not swinging out, but are parallel. Keep working on cavaletti, slowly add some more speed so that she trots through. Keep adding height for stepping back into 2on2off.
I gotta say, I never get tired of watching that video of Silvia’s first puppy class (see link under #3 of our homework). I watched it for probably the 10th time today — it’s so inspiring. And it always brings tears to my eyes. I feel so lucky to be in this class.
It sure makes me wish I could take her classes in person! If I could drive there I would be a regular attendee! Stacey
I feel the exact same way! The first time I watched it I never ever thought I could do something similar, but guess what we’re on our way to become just as good 😉 So happy that the ‘Silvia Magic’ works long distance as well. YAY!!
Here is a video of him hitting the 2o2o and staying on the box. I think he really gets it. I am throwing a ball and treats and he does not get off until I release.
httpv://www.youtube.com/user/agilitytft?feature=mhee
Woo Hoo!
Hmmm….Mario’s 2o2o video did not come up! I’ll try again
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=user/agilitytft?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/vdONjpn3lmk
Very inspiring. What a great 2o2o stop he has. I’m so impressed.
This is Mario backing up the stairs. He loves putting his back two feet up on anything! I was afraid of him falling because our stairs do not have carpet. He is really fast and good on carpeted stairs.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=user/agilitytft?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/lfXzPGiMB2w
This is Mario doing the circling on the plateform. I did not understand to have him follow my let, I just had him go from one side to another. I will work on it the other way also.
Not sure why the videos are not posting and just the link to them?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=user/agilitytft?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/0_VK8Wj0nbI
Johanna,
Don’t forget to change your “http://” to httpv://” That might be the problem. Can’t wait to see the amazing Mario!
Rachel
You need to put the “sharing” link in, without “user” part. But hey, great job. The only thing to be careful about is your position at the target. You need to stand at its side, not behind it, to get the right position -- see my comments to others, seems like I didn’t explain that well enough as I’m writing the same thing for like a fifth time today 🙂 The rest is all going great!
So Silvia, I’m trying to visualize (and I bet if I pull out my Heeling DVD, it’s on there!)…sounds like you stand at “3 o’clock” to get “heel/close” and you stand at “9 o’clock” to get “side”??? So the handler needs to move their position each time you go back and forth? I would have done the same thing, so I appreciate being able to learn from others. 🙂
Exactly.