Great job so far everybody! But again, please see as many videos of others as possible and read my comments to others too - the more you read and the more videos you watch, the easier it will be to understand what you're going for and see it in real speed too.
Anyway, here is your new list:
1. gradually make that plank/set-up higher&higher, still jackpotting the best hits, but make a criteria for a jackpot somewhat more strict and at this point also stop clicking misses and almost-misses, even if the dog is striding equally. Jackpot really good hits only. It's no problem if the dog still gets the toy on every try, just take it immediately when he comes back. When it's good, praise and tug and when it's especially good, be especially excited and play especially enthusiastically 🙂 And yes, dogs are smart enough to know the difference.
2. as the dog is probably already searching for the plank better, slowly start throwing sooner&sooner. Don't rush it, but you eventually want to throw that soon that the dog is technically running to a static toy. But again, you don't want to get there sooner as in 3 weeks as it's only then that we'll start using a static toy - you do want to throw it for those 3 weeks more! It's better to throw somewhat longer if necessary - usually not an issue with BCs, but with my PyrShep puppy, I needed to throw VERY long to keep the speed and forward focus - if any of that gets weaker when you start throwing sooner, go back to whatever gives you back the speed and forward focus, we can deal with the rest later!
3. as you are still throwing a toy, your movement and position probably won't affect the dog's performance - but just to be sure, do try to run with the dog here and there, just to check if that's correct. If it does affect your dog's performance, add movement gradually, by first walking slowly along, then walking faster, running slowly etc. You don't need to do it on every try, especially not if it doesn't affect the performance, but do try it here and there.
4. another difficulty we can slowly start introducing now is changing starting position of your dog. If you use a low DW, you can use different approaches instead. Don't use the best spot all the time anymore, but vary it a little bit. If it makes their hits too bad, go back to the good starting position. But bad hit here and there is good, that's how they learn the difference between what gets rewarded and what doesn't.
5. new trick: shape a dog to go with all 4 feet in a box that is ideally as long as he is. Then gradually use smaller&smaller objects, your goal is the dog is standing with 4 feet in a small bowl. Good for balance and rear legs awareness! Also, teach backing up with you standing still, by throwing a reward for them first for one step back, then two and then add more&more distance. Great for rear legs awareness and coordination!
Hi Silvia,
Hope you had a nice Christmas.
If you have time, here is our improvement!
After few more sessions on the low hill, you can see our 1st session on this steeper hill. I lowered somewhat my criteria to make her confident but will more strict this week-end (jackpot only for: hind feet separation + deep hits)
But this is not exactly the set up I had in mind… Did you see Ania and Bill’s set ups in previous class? That’s what you want to set up, a horizontal first plank (no jumping on it), supported apex and a down plank going down hill, to make it look more like a DW. But I think this hill is somewhat too steep… Do you have something in between?
Thank you for your response!!
I have a lot of free time until mid january to train 🙂
No I don’t have something in between…
But the next step I had in mind was to elevate the 2nd apex to get the 1st one horizontal… but it’ll be even steeper…
I’ll try to find Ania’s set-up to get an idea of you meant.
THANK YOU again for helping me during your vacations
Céline
Yes, leaving the beginning flat and raising the 2nd apex is exactly what I meant. I think you had it on your your first set up? In order to not make it all too steep, you could set it on the top of this hill, so that the first plank is on it’s top and the second starts where it drops -- that way, you will get less steepness.
ok, I found Ania’s set up.
We’ve worked on a likely set-up (with the previous hill). Here is a video of our 1st session on it:
We were writing at the same time 🙂 I liked this set up more yes.
PS: after getting almost jackpot I moved for the steeper hill
funny!
so what is the next step ?
Like I wrote: putting a first plank on a flatter part (the top of a hill?) and make it horizontal to have the apex, but not too much height for now.
ok… but it won’t be easy because I don’t have a hill like Ania’s…
so I’ll use the 1st hill, adding some height but not much.
And I’ll tape our 1st session (saturday) on this set-up.
See you!
Hi,
I’d like to have your feed back before training again on this set-up.
what do you think?
I’ve put a carpet at the end but it seems to bother her than anything else.
thank you
celine
It says the video is unavailable… Best wishes to everybody and see you next year!
and I forgot:
FELIZ AÑO NUEVO !
I’m depressed again…
I’ve got 1 week of vacation coming tomorrow and it seems we won’t go anywhere after that…
I thought she had understood but definitively not yet.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
What should I change to make it clearer or simpler for her?
-- sit starting point?
-- white towel on the end part?
-- jumps before to get speed?
it’s not normal since august…
this is yesterday training:
and this is today:
thank you for your help
and i wish you for 2012:
a lot a pleasure with your dogs, nice results in competitions and happiness in your life!
It’s better to post in RC III, this class is finished. In short: I don’t see why you’re depressed, it looks o.k. to me??? -- Some beautiful ones and some misses, perfectly normal for a learning process. Also, I have no idea why you didn’t reward 2.11, 2.13 and 3.11 tries (first video)? Those were all very nice, clear hits, you definitely want to reward those!!!
thank you so much for responding me outside the class dates. i’m so grateful since i’m in vacation.
ok to write on RC III. looking forward to see what i get today!