Time for a new lesson! And a "catch-up break" 🙂 With every class, we do a two weeks break for those who got somewhat behind to catch up and for those who are on schedule to give a dog a little break from plank running. I'll be answering your questions till Tuesday 4th October night and then again after 14 days, from 19th October morning again. Please don't post your videos during this time, I won't be reviewing old videos as things can change in 2 weeks.
If you're behind, make sure to complete lesson 1 before you start with lesson 2 and that you complete lesson 2 before starting with lesson 3 - you can't jump steps, there is a reason I'm giving you this assignments in the order that I do!
1. switch to a static toy, position it at the bar of a jump with a bar on the ground. The jump should be straight forward after the plank, about 7m away. The goal is the dog starts to look for a jump, knowing the toy is there. Occasionally, still throw a toy in advance, but mostly, have it there. When the dog already knows where it is, put a jump bar very low and a toy behind it (close after it, but far enough that the dog can land normally). Keep it there long enough that the dog is expecting it there. When you see the dog is pulling well towards the jump, knowing the toy is there, stop leaving the toy there and throw it after you click the contact, so that the dog gets it after the jump.
The goal is to switch from a static toy that is there as a target for the dog to focus him forward to a jump as a target to focus the dog forward and a toy as a reward we throw AFTER we see the contact is good. You need to be pretty quick as you don't want the dog to wait for the toy - so quick that I sometimes throw it before I realize the contact was actually not THAT good - but it gets easier 🙂 I guess this step will finally make everybody worried about rewarding leaps happy as now, you can withhold the toy for unsuccessful tries. HOWEVER, make sure the dog successful rate is high for this step as otherwise, you can loose the speed and get the dog checking back with you if you're throwing a toy or not. The same can be dangerous if you're late throwing a toy.
This is usually an easy step for BCs who will run full speed in anticipation of the toy, but can be a very hard one for some other dogs. For Le, that was the hardest step. She was running beautifully if the ball was still rolling when she saw it, but if I threw it that early that it was already static when she saw it (or when I positioned it there), then she didn't extend well enough. What finally worked was going few steps back with height, exciting her a lot with a toy, throwing it at the jump and sending her quickly to the dog-walk. That made her striding good enough to continue long enough to have her look for the jump and then I quickly switched to a toy, thrown after the contact is done, over the jump. That temporary caused some checking back with me, so I needed to go back to a stationary toy again, but then she finally got the idea to keep running full speed towards the jump/tunnel and trust the toy will appear then 🙂 and that again gave me the beautiful striding I had before trying to get rid of a toy, thrown in advance.
If the transition to a stationary toy is too hard, another way to try to avoid that phase is to pretend you are throwing a toy in advance, but then only throw it after. OR, using a tunnel as a way to focus the dog forward and throw it after the tunnel - works great with tunnel crazy dogs, didn't work with Le. Try and report back if you have problems.
2. keep adding height. If you have an option, it's also time to try the real thing. If you don't ahve a low DW you can use a normal dog-walk with additional plank at the end. Start with down ramp only and then slowly put the dog further&further back until you run the whole dog-walk.
When trying this or any other, new variable, don't vary other variables - make it as easy for the dog to succeed as possible. You can also lower a criteria somewhat. Normally, your criteria about hits by now should already be to be deeply in the contact - but temporary, you can click for good tries on a limit too, IF hind feet are well separated and the dog is not leaping.
3. new trick: have a dog back up on something very low and preferably soft first (folded blanket, low pillow) - then slowly add height, so that they need to pick up their hind legs higher&higher. At the same time, you can teach a "pee trick": click for lifting the leg, searching for an object, before they touch it. Make sure to try to get leg lifts on both sides - they usually prefer to go up with the same leg, so try to sometimes position them somewhat diagonally in front of an object so that their preferred leg is too far from it to start with that one. Also try climbing stairs backwards and cavaletti backwards.
Have fun! I'll be back to answering on 19th October and will publish new assignments on 7th November, so you'll again have 3 weeks to work on this assignment in class form - and 2 additional weeks to either catch up or take a break 🙂
YES!!! I love a catch up break! 😀
Great, we need the catch up break too! 🙂
Can i ask Silvia, we added some height for the 1st time today, since re-starting RC, to our set up the full DW, i did not get too many nice hits, is this normal for the 1st session at the new height and is this likely to happen at each new height ? How much height is ok each time we add some? If i try the tunnel after the DW do i need to give a command to do the tunnel when she is on the DW or should it be close so they just run into it?
Thanks kindly.
We wish you all the very best at world champs. Hope to watch it on live streaming.
No, it doesn’t happen on every new height, it’s just some heights that throw their striding off. If it doesn’t improve in a couple of sessions, go back down. The best is to only raise 10 or 15cm every time -- but you can raise it more often when you are adding height that gradually. The tunnel must be about 6, 7m away so that it doesn’t affect her striding on DW. You can say tunnel when she is still on DW, but she will soon start to take it automatically anyway. And thanks for the good wishes!
Good timing as I am headed to USDAA nationals next week.
I do not have a low DW. but I’m not sure what you mean about another plank on the dw. Do you have any pics of what it should look like.
I think Jackie (aussie) is going to be alot like Le as she likes the rolling ball.
Good luck in Lievin. I was there in 2003.
Good luck to you too then! 🙂
See 1:07 of this video to see the plank on DW set up:
Hi Sylvia,
Great runs at worlds.
After break she looked good on the old set up. This is a new one.
16″ table to a small ramp to 8ft plank to 12 ft down ramp. My yard is small so I cannot put in a full dw and have enough room at the end.
what do you think/ This was her second time on this set up.
She does have to leap up to the table but she comes from about 15 ft away.
I think she does best with the moving ball and some motion from me.
Some of the reps were with a placed toy and her head was up looking for it. I put it at the jump. Maybe a tunnel?
with winter coming / the only access I will have would be a full ht dw. I tried her with the plank on it but she doesn’t seem to get the speed.
what do you think
She is doing o.k.: somewhat leapy first 4 tries, but then she starts to run normally. I would like her deeper in though, so that would be my major focus for now. I think throwing a toy is still the best for now, I wouldn’t change that variable just yet but instead work some more on getting deeper hits, trying to get even more extension (by throwing a toy, running yourself and speedy approaches) and therefore hitting deeper. When you have to switch to full height DW, try adding a plank at the end and then running the whole thing to get good speed -- I’m guessing you were trying just the last part?
set this up and she did great/ full ht dw with the extended plank
better than with my shortened version.
freak snow storm is gone but it left us with no power/internet now day 6.
will post some videos when life as we know it returns
Snow already! Pretty crazy to be without power for 6 days… -- but I guess good for doing some dog training 🙂 Glad to hear at least that is going well!
Here is my set up on a full ht dw. the last 2 reps are her doing the entire dw.
I am in the process of building a low dw to practice on before the real snow starts.
I am still throwing the ball
Great! You can also keep working on that set up if you don’t get to a real DW, it looks really good now so slowly go to earlier throws to then switch to a toy thrown after the jump/tunnel.
Hi Silvia, We put the tunnel out 6 m today from end of DW and had a great RC session, our second at the new height. Is it ok so early on to use the tunnel out front to draw her, it seemed to work way better than when i throw as some times i am not so good because i have a very narrow section where i have my DW so the throw has to be right, Spy seemed ok to do DW then tunnel then get reward. Should i throw still each time or just for good hits? Is this set up ok or am i rushing to the next step. Strangly but nicely we are getting great drive ahead and i make it bad if i throw wrong so late seems way better, ie after tunnel. Just need to have this sorted as i would like to progress while you are off for WC and break. Thanks kindly.
Sure, you can use this set up and withhold the toy for misses, she is ready!
Hi Silvia! Yes, a break is perfect timing! I thought I would post this session of Spur running into nothing from last week and see if you see anything I am not seeing. Going to the left is into nothing, going to the right is towards a jump. I think the plan of slowly moving his curved tunnels farther and farther away is a good idea, but just in case you see something on this video that might be of interest let me know.
We have done three sessions in the last two days with the curved tunnels with 100% success, so I’ll keep at that this week.
GOOD luck at Worlds!!!
And, as always, thank you SO much for all your help!! Spur would never be going to the Nationals if it were not for your help with his RDW, that’s for sure!!! 😀
Amy and Little Spur
Absolutely beautiful Amy! Spur is really doing great. You can see he is really adjusting his stride. Great job!
When are you going to the Nationals with him?
Thanks Ania! Although, that actually wasn’t the video I meant to post as that one had higher success. There were two other sessions with more leaps and I meant to post one of those, but anyway Silvia did see something that makes sense and I’ll go study my other videos.
Nationals are next week and the following weekend.
Amy, how did you do at the Nationals? Was it the USDAA Nationals? The courses looked challenging and fun.
Hi Ania! Spur did awesome at Nationals. Yes, USDAA Nationals. It was quite big and a little over-whelming for him, but he held it together really well. Was 10th in PGP quarters -- 12 advanced, and was 17th in semis -- 10 advanced. Something like that. He advanced to semis in PSJ also. I am so tired from the 18 hour drive that results start to blend, but he was remarkably good!!! His DW’s were PERFECT every time and some were sort of into nothing!!! It was his first time at a trial without my other dogs and without his huge fan club (he has a LOT) around the ring, so it was definitely a learning experience and he struggled with the scene a little bit.
He is the BEST little guy and working so hard to keep it together for me, I am SO very proud!!!!
It was honestly a bit out of our league at this point in his career, but what a GREAT experience for him and me!!!! He ran clean in all his runs the whole week!!! 😀
Good luck at Nationals!!! As for his contacts into nothing, it seems to help when you’re well in front: on all the good ones, you’re more in front and running harder as on the ones he missed. It makes sense, you are pulling him ahead with your position then, but of course at one point, you need to train being behind too, as you probably don’t really want to run so far into nothing. But the worst is if you are there too soon and then slow down and look back. Try to plan your running so that you start with him and then run really hard to push him forward with your movement.
OK, thanks that makes sense. I can run pretty well, so that’s something I can work on to help him. Obviously he can run ahead when there are obstacles, so I can slowly take myself out of the picture. I knew you would see something I missed! 😀
Here is our latest and last video before the ‘break’ 🙂
Maia is doing very well I think. She is now able to wrap a jump on both sides before the DW and take a jump after the DW. I throw the ball, but today, as you can see, I was throwing it ‘late’. I do not think I can go to a static toy with her. I apologize about the last half of the video -- the angle of the camera was bad and it’s hard to see her ‘hits’. What should be out next few steps over the break? Her success rate is almost 95% now.
AND GOOD LUCK at the world’s!!! Maia and I will be cheering for you three!
GREAT!!! I see even her bad side is not that bad anymore 🙂 I would raise it some more next, keep throwing a toy later and later so that you then only throw it for the hits and you can maybe even move the exit jump a little bit left and right and rotate it some. Then raise it again and if she is still running well, try another, flat location next.
Wow, Ania, just amazing! Again, your are holding the persistence award with pride!!! You have really hung in there and it is very fun watching the progress now! I remember when you posted that you were close to tears at how you were doing. So much fun to see things going so well for you now!! 😀
I have a question about #2 from this lesson ” If you have an option, it’s also time to try the real thing.” Do you mean try it on a full height DW?
No, sorry, I meant real, but low DW for those who are still using a plank. But I think most already switched to low DW.
Best of luck for World Champs Silvia. I will endeavour to have some improvement in both my dogs on your return.
Charlotte, Ripple and Blaze
hi silvia -- wasn’t sure where to post, just wanted to say good luck and have a great time at wc! we’ll be waiting to hear more brags!! terri
Thanks! I hope everything going wrong before WC means that nothing more can go wrong there 🙂
Thats what it means! Good luck from us!
Nicole, Bigi, & Sen
I really hope La can show that age means nothing!
Hi Silvia!
Good luck in Lievin!!!
Our fingers are crossed!!!
Helmut & Christina
Again Dazzle had some problems with the new setup, lots of leaping. So I went back to the setup where it went well. After 2 sessions I went back to 2/3 of the dw. Of this last session is this movie. What do you recommend, a few more session with this setup and then go to the whole dw? Or do we need to do something else??
Also I add the movie of the tricks from lesson 1 and 2.
Good luck at the WC!! Hope you have amazing results 😉
And we are also very happy with this small break we can do some catching up, and . . . Dazzle is becoming a daddy 🙂 my other dog is getting his puppy’s next week 😉
Hi Silvia,
Best of luck at the World. With your skill at handling and training things are going to go GREAT!
Safe travels,
Maureen