O.k., time for your first homework!
1. find a way to make your dog run as fast as he can, tape him from the side and study his striding in slow motion or even frame by frame: how far apart his hind feet are, how far forward hind feet reach over front feet, how long and high the stride is, how his back looks like and where his head is: many people think you want low head for running contacts, but in fact, you want the head look exactly the same as when running full speed in the fields 🙂
2. have a dog run over the plank, tape him from the side and compare it with the video above - tape it at the height you're currently at. If you're just starting, restrain the dog before your plank, carpet or whatever you're using, throw a toy and release. Slowly bring the dog further away from the plank to really have them come to the plank with full speed. Mark anything that looks like running in the fields from the first video, jackpot when feet are hitting at the end of a plank/carpet (where the contact will be), but reward anything that is running. Don't forget to click it or at least mark it with your voice! I prefer clicking, but you can also first use a voice and start clicking later, when you know your dog's stride better and can predict it better.
This is a good check-up for those who are already running their dogs on a raised plank and a good stride-study that will help you see and mark the correct striding better for those just starting. Once you see your dog is running nicely, with an even stride, hind feet separation and hind feet reaching further from front feet, you can put a brick or something under one end of the plank and have them run over slightly raised plank - I'll tell you when you're ready based on the videos you'll send.
And yes, we're for now throwing a toy in advance, letting the dog chase it, in order to get full speed. So yes, the dog is rewarded every time with a ball - so make sure that you really make the best tries even more special, use excitement in your voice, a play of tug on his favourite toy or food if that's his real preference - in short: make a party about the really good ones and don't worry about not so good ones - just throw that ball again! 🙂
3. to make it easier for the dog to understand what you're clicking for on that plank, we'll be teaching some tricks that are important to help them understand how to use their feet and that you might be clicking them for using them. The two things you will try this time is cavaletti work - walking the dog over drawers or boxes on the floor - and teaching the dog to step with front feet on an object and clicking for any movements of hind feet: the final goal is a full circle in both directions, but first click even for just a weight shift and then go from there.
Post a video with all 3 assignments, first two in slow motion please!!! - But PLEASE cut out all the parts where I can't see the dog: because seeing just the plank, and that is slow motion, is absolutely no fun - and you can't imagine how many planks in slow motion I saw by now!
Also, read all the comments and see as many videos as possible, you can learn A LOT through videos and comments of others, that's why we do it in a class form in a first place!
Two pictures showing what I mean by hind feet reach: hind feet must land further ahead from where front feet were:
Two pictures showing what I mean by hind feet separation: hind feet must be hitting two different spots as far apart as possible (vs. staying parallel, hitting the same spot).
To take the explanation of hind feet separation and reach forward even further, here is a discussion we had with a first class on it, this is my comment to those two videos:
Experimenting with a full low dogwalk
Experimenting with throwing his toy
My comment: he doesn’t run fast enough 
– That’s my answer to 90% of problems with running contacts, so you will probably hear that a lot in next few months Any BC, running full speed, is deep down the contact if doing two strides on a dog-walk ramp, period. Even my PyrShep who is 37cm (14.5″) does the down ramp in two hits and I even know a Papillon that is trying to, despite we would prefer him to do 3 hits Meaning that if a BC does 2 hits and is too high, he is not running enough. That’s some general info for everybody, I’m just using your videos to discuss this topic as they show some very nice tries and some “not running enough” tries.
On most tries, you can see his hind feet come just shortly more forward from where the front feet where. Normally, when the dog runs full speed, hind feet will land significantly further ahead from where front feet were – just like you can see in “experimenting with the toy” video at 1:16, 2:16 and 2:27 tries for example – those were very nice!!!
The faster the dog is moving, the further ahead from front feet hind feet will be landing and as a consequence, you will have MUCH bigger length covered as if hind feet hit where front feet were – meaning that if Bi’s front feet are above the contact, her first hind foot will be in the middle of the contact and the second one will be right at it’s bottom. - While if the dog’s hind feet only come to where front feet were, he is missing the contact in this situation - instead of getting a perfect one
That’s exactly why I always get suspicious when I hear people saying their dog is hitting with 4 feet. With a BC size dog, running full speed with good hind feet separation, it’s pretty much impossible to fit all 4 feet in. 3 is possible, but if they can fit all 4 feet in that small area, they don’t cover enough of an area and when they will be higher, all 4 feet will be out of the contact. Bi on the other hand is a typical example of the dog covering LOTS of an area, meaning that even if her front feet are landing in the middle of the down ramp (yeah, she desperately wants to do it in one hit), the second hind foot will be in the contact, as you can see in this video:
Complicated? Don't worry, it gets easier when you start to see the dog's stride 🙂
And here is part 2. Lot’s of jackpots! 😀
(I really don’t know how to put two links in one comment, (We have a new computer, Imac) because when I go to the youtube website and copy the link and then go to this site all the text I wrote is gone, so I can only copy one time.)
Jonina & Jin
Hi Silvia,
Just started working on assinment #3. Had to lure her to get her back feet moving. We’re working on that now and just clicking her back feet.
Regarding the plank. Should the length be the same as the dog walk up/down plank? The plank I’m using now is the length of the teeter.
Judi 🙂
Yes, ideally the plank is as long as DW plank. Getting there with pivoting! Try to move less&less now that she knows it some.
Here are tonight’s runs with Hasten. I put the reward out farther…I think we got about 10 in the zone.
Reg speed
Slow mo
Forget about the contact -- focus on a form of running! But yes, the running looks more like running now 🙂 -- with hind feet separation and all. However, looks like you’re recalling her over now? It’s o.k. to start like this, but as you’ll mostly be behind on real courses, it’s definitely important to address that problem right now. Yo’ll also see the hind feet separation much better from behind as from in front. There is really no other way around as teaching her to run after a ball…
I took your advice and started to add wraps before the plank. This is Maia’s second session with the jump. She is again airy for some reason. She does great when she starts from a sit or a stand at various distances from the plank, but the second I add a wrap she becomes airy. A few times today, she did manage to get one foot in. She seems to do better with a cik before the plank than a cap?! I’m not sure why. What do you think?
That’s really strange, no idea why a wrap would make her airy… The good thing is that you still got some really good ones, but yes, there is definitely a pattern. Now, another option is to wait with this until we get to low DW -- maybe it will affect her less then as there will be a longer way to run… So you can try starting her from stay for now, just make sure you start her far enough that she has good speed. If that still goes well, you can as well try adding another object and see if she gets airy again or not.
How far would you recommend? I’ve started her from as far back as 12 feet, so basically double the plank lengh and she was still good as in these tries from August 24th. I think her speed is good here what do you think? I can do some more of these for sure with her.
I’m very baffled with why she becomes so airy when I add an object too. It’s weird because no matter what I try, a pole, a cone, a jump or a tunnel, she becomes airy ?!
Yeap, that was a good starting point. I wish we could add something that wouldn’t make her airy, I though a jump will be o.k. when the tunnel wasn’t o.k., but… -- huh, let’s hope that once she runs full DW and knows better what it is all about, air will be gone…
Hi Silvia and classmates!
This is the first exercice. But unfortunately the camera is too far and we don’t see the legs. I throw the ball and I wanted to know if the speed is good.
Speed sure looks good! But yes, try to tape him from closer, hard to see his little legs like this!
Silvia-
I hope to be sending in video soon!!! I lost power for many days in Maine and now still don’t have internet connection at home. Can catch up on posts intermittently at work but I don’t think I can be uploading video from work 😉 Definately helpful to see your comments to other people though since I have several of the same issues.
Hopefully by this weekend I’ll video.
Shona and Nevis
No problem, post whenever you can! Happy running! 🙂
Hi Shona,
I went to a DIY store and bought a Mutiplex plank 2.44 m by 1.22 and there they cut it in the good size for me ( 4 planks: 1.90 by 30 cm) So I will put two planks together to have one plank (3.80 by 30 cm) So then I have two planks from 3.80 by 30cm and put these together in the beginning of the RC progress.
Happy training!
Jonina
Thanks Jonina,
one last question…Are your 2-1.9m planks attached in some way to make your 3.8m plank? I assume that the 2- 3.8m planks are just laying next to each other on the ground. Maybe my grass is too long but everything seems to be so bouncy! Yours looks so solid in the video.
Shona
Hi Shona,
No they are not attached yet, so for now these are 4 planks laying next to each other. I do search for a good spot on the grass so they won’t be too bouncy, but as you see this works for now. I hope this weekend my boyfriend will have some time to make these 4 planks in two so I can raise them some.
Hi Sylvia,
Per your recommendation, I’ve been recalling Charm to me across the carpet the same way I recall her from a stay with me taking off running and tossing her toy to get her to run her fastest in the field. I do a couple recalls in the field first to get her in drive, and I’ve been starting her farther back from the carpet so she is in full stride when she hits the carpet. Sadly I don’t have slo mo capability which makes it really hard to see her striding. Can you tell about rear foot separation from this video? Even with starting her farther back and recalling her to me she still seems bouncy and I don’t know how to get her to run it any faster. The first rep on this video is to a static toy. The next 3 are with me tossing the toy before she catches me while I’m running. This is our 13th carpet running session. I’m not clicking for foot placement at this point: only trying to get her to run her fastest without bouncing or leaping. She is 10 1/2 months old now. Do you think we are better off with a 2o/2o based on what you’re seeing here?
Nancy, I think you can use youtube editor to do slow motion? Just type in http://www.youtube.com/editor, I think. You need to already be logged in to youtube, first, though. Then it will come up with their editing program and your videos to use. I am pretty sure it has a slow motion feature.
Amy and Little Spur
Hi Sylvia,
I noticed you responded to comments posted after mine so I was wondering if you saw my questions about Charm in the above video?
Thank you,
Nancy Latthitham
Well, the second try was perfect! 🙂 Now if you only could see it and jackpot those… -- but I guess it’s hard when being well in front and running hard… But do try to mark as she is running at the end of the carpet. I definitely wouldn’t give up that fast, hard start doesn’t mean you’ll be meeting the problems the whole process at all! From my dogs, Bi was the hardest to get running on flat from her -- and yet the fastest to progress to full height with no problems later on! I would do some more sessions on carpet to see if you can get more tries like 2 and maybe then simply go to slightly raised plank, maybe things will make more sense to her then.
And yes, her hind feet are separated, it’s just that she is sometimes more airy as ideal. But then, if that’s her normal way of running, maybe we can just let it be… But I think that once she is really into this game, she will start to run lower.
Hi Silvia,
I have some photage of Ziva on the mat. sorry haven’t got any of her on the ground (well some where my throw deviated from a straight line). Just realised i got the throwing wrong in that i was restraining then letting go and trying to throw all at once rather than throwing toy before releasing ziva. I’m also having real issues getting my timing right to click when she hits it right at the end. any suggestions would be welcome. I do think she’s jumping of end rather than hitting it.
Regards
Tracy
Yes, you need to throw earlier. To make things easier, I would definitely go for somewhat shorter mat -- too long is definitely better as too short, but as long as that makes it very hard to throw a toy far enough from the end of the mat AND to see her striding well when you are so far back. Therefore, I would use a carpet of the length of a down ramp, start her with a send to a tunnel maybe so that you can be even further along the mat and can throw and watch better and focus on clicking it right. To me, she looks to run nicely when the toy is thrown o.k. and shorter mat would sure make your throwing easier.
Hallo Silvia!
You wanted to see more repititions, here they are! That was Candis second training session.
I jackpotted 4,5,6,7,8 and 12. Im still unsure if I add the right behavior….
Yeap, those were really good. Try to see some videos of others and my comments to them to understand better what you’re going for.
Great! You need to do at least 5 sessions like this on the flat and then you can try with a plank and raise it some. To keep up with the class and get to real DW in 3 months, you need to do about 15-20 repetitions almost every day…