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!
Happy to have you back!
Actually I train RC at 3 different locations: home (Monday to Wednesday and sunday), Carles’s club (Thursday to Saturday) and another club (Sunday) and both of them have a 40 cm wide plank… If I wanted to train outside with space and speed I had to make mine thinner to get Karmen used to it that why I cut it.
Carles’ plank is pretty nice, I’ll tape this week session to let you confirm my feeling. But she cannot train yet on the other club because the edge are too high (the plank you reminder).
I’ll start working on all the assignments of lesson 2.
Thank you, it seems we are on the right way. Since she is only 9 months-old I have time to continue without pressure but with strong foundations, haven’t I?
Good. Try to tape her outside next and send that to check how is she doing. I didn’t comment on its width though, but thickness, I think your plank was nicely thin and now it’s so thick it creates more of an edge as I would like too… -- Another reason to add somewhat more height next! But sure, no hurry, 9 months is very young!
We haven’t been very active training RC lately. I got so fed up with it raining all the time and not being able to videotape then that decided to take training inside, so now we train RC only 2-3 times a week. I’m in no hurry, she’s still so young but I’m not sure if it would be better to train more intensively…
Here’s where we’re at (I use U-tunnel before the carpet here)
and here’s our trick training
I haven’t been able to tape all our training sessions, but I don’t think my moving affects her performance but me throwing a ball late makes her leap for that ball.
Very cute 4in and great carpet running! Ready for the plank! Keep throwing the ball early -- and then earlier&earlier 🙂
Hi Silvia,
I couldn’t train at the club yet but I had some time at home. Here is where we are by now.
Do you think we could work on the club’s very low DW (knees high) starting from the middle of it? I can go there at the end of the week.
Thank you
Céline
Well, you can try the low DW and see how it goes… To prepare her for more height, raise this plank first though. But you will probably need an up ramp or a long table/bench to start her on after the raise, so try finding something appropriate!
Hallo Silyia! We had a very long break for 5 weeks… Before break I used a double plank very low maybe 50 cm Candis was running full speed and was 99% in with good seperated hind feet. Now I have switched to a normal plank. First Candis had big problems but now I think she is really fine. At the video you can see six sequential trys , 99% of her RCs are like that. I think I can make the plank higher right? What do you think how much?
Yeap, you can raise it some. -- I normally raise it by 10 or 15cm -- and do it more often if it’s not causing them any troubles. Try to include the whole set up in the next video so that I see her striding over the whole plank.
Back to lesson 2… It seems I BADLY want to keep up !
Yesterday we’ve done a lesson with the plank on the ground. She was really good with almost only jackpot.
So this morning I made the 1st session with the plank on the ground and then raised it a little as you can see on the video.
While making the video I figured out that she is switching hind feet. I mean when she is running with right front foot first, she switches her hind feet to have the left hind foot first. Hope you see what I mean.
I would have much nicer hind feet separation and hits without it.
How can I get rid of it? It’s hard to see so hard to not click…
Thank you
Céline
Do you have a video of how she was running on a flat plank? I don’t like how she runs here, the legs changes and up in the air and the speed doesn’t seem right either. What is she running to?
I couldn’t train RC yesterday because there was an exhibition…
On tuesday I’ll go to the club and will tape her running on a plank put on the ground. we’ll compare it to her free running… and you’ll let me know.
To answer your question, she is running after a thrown ball.
That looks better (other than those last tries on that thick plank), we need to get that back!
this was an old video…
actually it was her 1st video of RC (in august!)
hope I can tape some trials on a ground-plank tomorrow
I know. That’s why I said we need to get it back.
sorry !
hope we’ll make it…
good night