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RC II lesson 4

And here comes lesson 4 for those who are still keeping up, meaning that you're already running full low DW with a jump or a tunnel after it. For those who are not there yet - don't even try it, keep sending videos of whereever you are and watch videos of others to get a good picture of what this lesson is about and you can work on it later on.

1. Start moving the jump after which the dog is getting his toy A LITTLE in different directions: left and right, rotating it somewhat etc. If it makes the dog fail, set it back to help the dog succeed and then move it again by really VERY little tiny bit. It's better to move it a little every two tries as to move it a lot every two sessions! Keep rewarding by throwing a toy after the contact is done, over the jump. Try to sometimes use a tunnel instead of a jump too. Go through all the possible positions of the jump that still allow the dog to get the jump without collection on a dog-walk. When the dog is fine with that, try adding more jumps around so that there are more possible options. Try running into nothing (no obstacles ahead) too. You want to address all possible course situations other than real turns - we'll get there in the next session.

2. Time to start with an A-frame too! - For all who are already doing the whole DW on at least half height.

Put the A-frame somewhat lower (1,5m maybe) and try running the dog over. I recommend less speedy approach first (starting close to the base of an A-frame) as dogs who were trained to RUN over planks tend to run up so fast they then fly over the top so much that it's not unusual they only land on the floor... If you see your dog doesn't have such tendencies, add more&more speed to the approach AND make it steeper and steeper, I usually go to full height in one session.

Don't worry if not all contacts are perfect at first, they will probably need to experiment some at first. They often first go for one stride but then change to two as it's more comfortable striding for them - or sometimes medium dogs start with two that are too short to get in but then start to extend more and are nicely in with two. Many long-strided dogs will go for one, Bi is always doing one and used to sometimes be somewhat high, but is now always nicely in, even on not so speedy approaches. Bu will normally do two, but sometimes also does one and interestingly, is always in even when she goes for one. Le does two and is sometimes somewhat high as she once flew over the top so much that she crashed to the floor really badly and is now somewhat too careful at the top - but getting in nicer with time and experience.

The thing that I said for running contacts: that the good thing is that they only get better, even if you don't do anything about it... - It's especially true for A-frame. I simply put it in sequences at the second session and they just get better&better. The only problem we ever had with A-frames was with "limit" dogs who were too far with one/two strides that they could make another one, but too high to be in with that one/two strides. You do need to do some more sessions on just A-frame with those dogs and select for good ones. Experiment a little with what gives you best hits as far as handler position and timing of a thrown ball (in advance vs. after the contact) and use that for a start.

With a good hit, I mean anything clearly in. You do NOT want them to generalize DW style too good as you do NOT want them too deep, it's physically too hard on them and they might prefer to not do it if you ask them to come too deep - remember, the easier behaviour is for them, the easier it is for you to maintain it. You are again looking for hind feet separation and you don't want it any deeper as that:

3. Tricks: let's do some pivoting again, this time so that you position yourself next to the target and only click for coming all the way to your leg, touching it. Then either move away and have them follow you or have them pivot back to the other leg. Once they understand the leg is their new object to target, switch to a flat target and then fade it. We need them to know to come to both legs without the target for the next trick.

The other trick we need till next time, for being able to introduce turns, is going tightly around a pole, cik&cap. Shape the dog to wrap the pole/table leg/whatever tightly and put it on a verbal cue.


502 Comments

  1. Pam December 5, 2011 at 04:34 Log in to Reply

    Arrow is getting more challenges!
    On the DW he did well with the set up with angle approaches for keeping his entry hits low. He is adjusting his strides and most times getting good hits on the exit and this is set up with a jump straight or slight angle and he has to wrap it or turn after the jump. I tried to raise the DW from 38 inches high to full 48 inches but that worried him a bit; I moved down to 43 inches and this is his first session with this.
    I rewarded everything except # 5.
    The last 2 in this DW session was from table, jump, jump at about 160 degree angle and using a thin short green pole to keep the entry straight. He is still learning that some skills should be done more slowly!
    Also on the video is the first session with the AF at 5feet 2; He was successful at 4feet 6. The deeper contact zones were more angled approaches.
    I rewarded all the hits under the top yellow slat.
    And, you predicted that he would do well with the headstand training because he hops backwards with backward walking; You were right!! Good to see one easy trick for him!!
    I believe we will continue with the January class.

    • LoLaBu December 5, 2011 at 16:47 Log in to Reply

      GREAT!!! His A-frames are beautiful and 100% of hits on DW is not bad either 🙂 You can do a couple of more sessions on this height and then raise it some more. He might need somewhat straighter approaches when DW gets higher again. A-frame you can raise already.

      • Pam December 5, 2011 at 16:59 Log in to Reply

        Great! Happy you like this! Both are only 15 cm from full height so I am very happy that the snow held off this long!!! Soon we can take our training to the indoors, but only a few times a week.

        • LoLaBu December 5, 2011 at 20:58 Log in to Reply

          Almost there then! 🙂 Training just few times a week is perfectly o.k. at this stage. Going to some different places to let him get used to new places and DWs would be great too, looks like he will soon be ready to trial!

          • Pam December 5, 2011 at 21:51 Log in to Reply

            Ha-ha, did you see the “still open” channel weaves in this video?…
            LOL
            But thanks for the encouragement!!
            I am hoping for agility debut sometime in Spring 🙂

            • LoLaBu December 5, 2011 at 23:12 Log in to Reply

              Oh, after mastering RC, that should be a piece of cake!

    • Nicole December 6, 2011 at 21:14 Log in to Reply

      Pam these are fabulous! I made my dogs watch, just in case it helps 🙂

      • Pam December 6, 2011 at 23:58 Log in to Reply

        Thank You Nicole!
        Tonight we had some leaping…..I moved the jump 12 inches…..!
        I will have him watch this video to remind him how to run 🙂 hope it helps

  2. heather December 6, 2011 at 09:50 Log in to Reply

    We tried 2 sessions on a higher, 3 foot dogwalk yesterday… unfortunately it wasn’t very successful. I tried moving around how far he was starting from the dogwalk…leaving the toy after the jump…those didn’t seem to change it.
    I did reward #2, I forgot to mark that in the video. Still not sure that’s a good enough hit?
    Then the third session I lowered the dogwalk back to 2 feet, and worked on sending him around a pole to start.

    Thanks!
    Heather and Chip

    • LoLaBu December 6, 2011 at 18:50 Log in to Reply

      Can you raise it for half foot? It looks really good at 2 feet, so it’s time to move on, ideally by raising it some less or, if not possible, just work through it, rewarding somewhat higher hits too for now. For a first time on that height, I would actually reward #1, #2, #4 and #5 as those are pretty close to what we’re going for. He then starts to experiment (#9, #10, #11) and it only makes things worse. His original striding was good, he would just need more confidence on a new height to extend even more and get deeper in.

      • heather December 7, 2011 at 06:49 Log in to Reply

        Our dogwalk only has setting for 2, 3 and 4 feet. I’m going to try and prop it up somehow to see if I can get closer to 2.5ft. I agree going from 2-3 feet is a really big jump.

        • LoLaBu December 7, 2011 at 19:12 Log in to Reply

          Yeap, that would be the best way to go…

  3. Shona Michaud December 7, 2011 at 20:33 Log in to Reply

    Not Nevis but my other dog I’m training on Running DW had already been trained for running A-frame with other method. I have noticed that since starting with the DW (which of course has taken much of the focus off the A-frame) he is now trying to become “one hit wonder” Rankin dog but he is not a big dog so it isn’t working and I don’t like it anyways 🙂
    Would you recomment harder entries to bleed off speed or should I avoid A-frames till I get him further along in the DW lessons. Both my boys will hopefully be in lesson 3 soon…I hope 😉

    • LoLaBu December 7, 2011 at 22:32 Log in to Reply

      If you are not trialing at the moment, I would leave the A-frame alone for now yes. And when you get back to it later on, definitely start with less speedy approaches as RC training does give them a wish to fly 🙂

  4. heather December 13, 2011 at 06:35 Log in to Reply

    I tried and tried but couldn’t figure a way to only raise our dogwalk a half foot…..so we just tried another session on the 3 foot. And it was shockingly successful!
    We went back to starting with a tunnel, about 15 feet before, which has been our most successful starting point.
    This is video from just one session we did tonight, we’ll continue to work on it this week!

    Chip Running Dogwalk 12.12

    • LoLaBu December 13, 2011 at 10:56 Log in to Reply

      Perfect! Looks like he just needed to adjust to the new height! I would do a couple of more sessions like that and then start to challenge him some more with different approaches.

    • Amy December 13, 2011 at 13:34 Log in to Reply

      Wow, Heather, I have watched you and Chip all along and this really looks SO good!!!! GREAT job!!!!
      Amy

      • heather December 15, 2011 at 09:30 Log in to Reply

        Thanks! I’m really proud of him, he’s come a long way 🙂

  5. Natasha December 13, 2011 at 22:00 Log in to Reply

    Hi Silvia and classmates,
    Here is my video.
    Cela fait longtemps que je n’ai pas mis de vidéos. Pourtant j’ai fait des zones 2 à 3 fois par semaine. J’ai monté progressivement la passerelle et tenté à chaque fois plusieurs challenges. Aujourd’hui j’ai fait ma deuxième session avec la passerelle à la taille normale. J’ai remarqué que je devais continuer de lancer la balle car sinon Deusty prend l’habitude de ralentir. Par contre j’essaie tous les 5 ou 6 passages de ne pas la lancer. Je vais m’inscrire au cours du mois de janvier pour continuer à travailler et commencer à tourner. Mais pour l’instant il faut (je crois) continuer à travailler sans tourner. Ce cours est vraiment très chouette 🙂

    deustzones1312.wmv

    • LoLaBu December 14, 2011 at 13:36 Log in to Reply

      Looks great! -- The only thing that worries me is that those were all pretty much identical 5-strides DW and I’m not sure if he can do it any other way? I had this problem with Le, she was always in with 5 strides at home, but then on new DWs and in new, not ideal situations (slippery DW, ugly approach, not sure where we’re going after DW etc.) -- she would still stick with 5 strides… -- BUT that would be too high for those situations. So I did lots of starting at different points of a DW and some very ugly, no-speed approaches (sending her on while standing in the middle of a DW) to challenge her some more and “force” different striding patterns too. I think that would be good for Deusty too -- and turns too, actually, as those require different striding too, so I think I would start already, but of course on a different set up, like a plank on a table.

      To fade the toy, try to vary the timing, throw very early and very late sometimes and sometimes not at all, but in those cases, try to be in front of him yourself to still get forward focus -- just to make him less dependant on a toy as such.

  6. heather December 15, 2011 at 09:34 Log in to Reply

    We’ve done 2 sessions a day the past two days. Still doing the same set up as before. Started out a little rough, but kept getting a better success rate with each one.
    The ones that aren’t labeled (mostly the higher back foot hits) were just given small rewards.

    chip running dogwalk 12.14

    • LoLaBu December 15, 2011 at 20:48 Log in to Reply

      Cool! Most misses were due to him trying to go for 3 strides, so maybe it’s time to add angled approaches too. If that goes well, you can also move the exit jump around some, I think he is ready for more challenges.

      • heather December 15, 2011 at 21:18 Log in to Reply

        Should I still be giving small rewards to those higher back leg hits? Or start withholding reward to try for deeper hits?

        • LoLaBu December 15, 2011 at 22:12 Log in to Reply

          I would keep rewarding high hits with small rewards for now as his striding is actually really nice on those.

  7. Holly Sanders December 16, 2011 at 23:27 Log in to Reply

    Hi Silvia,
    Memphis jumps the apex of the A-frame. Is this OK? I will try and post a video tomorrow.

    • LoLaBu December 16, 2011 at 23:33 Log in to Reply

      Some jumping is fine. Flying isn’t… Video would be good 🙂

  8. Holly Sanders December 18, 2011 at 23:06 Log in to Reply

    Hi Silvia
    I know the class is ending today. Hope I am not too late posting this video. I read your response to my question on the use of a Manners Minder/ Static Food Target. Over the break between classes I will start throwing my rewards. I will try with a toy. What should the timing of the throw be? When she hits the contact zone? Also if she is not into a toy would a bait bag or a food tube be appropriate to throw? I have thoroghly enjoyed this class. Can’t wait until January

    Appropriateness

    Nearby Words

    Hi Silvia,
    I know today is the last day. Hope you will see this video. I read your answer to my question about the MM/ static food reward. Over the break between classes I will start throwing my reward. If I cannot get Memphis interested in a toy would a bait bag or food tube be appropriate to throw? Also what is the timing of the throw? Is it when she 1st hits yellow? Or when she runs to the end of the contact? Here is her running A-frame video. I did forget to add an obstacle after the A-frame. I would love your feedback. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and look forward to working with you again in January! Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

    Memphis Running A-Frame Training December 17, 2011

    • LoLaBu December 19, 2011 at 13:46 Log in to Reply

      Cool, just almost too low hits for an A-frame. Definitely add a jump after an A-frame, before the bowl. I would also raise the A-frame some more and try starting her from a jump, positioned so that she doesn’t have too much speed at first to avoid flying over the apex too much, but then giving her more&more speedy approaches as you raise it to full height.

      For how to use a toy, see lesson 1 to 4 progression. First step is throwing it in advance and letting her chase it over a plank. Then add a jump/tunnel after and start throwing after the tunnel/jump. Never throw as she is on a contact as you don’t want her check back with you there if the toy is coming or not. Instead of a static toy phase, you can use a static food phase, but very soon go to an empty bowl and a toy thrown after. You can reward with food after she gets the toy. You could try a food tube, but I think it will be hard to throw it well, I usually just teach them to fetch a ball for a treat as a separate exercise first.

      Happy training till the next class! 🙂


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sialaSilvia Trkman is known for bringing every dog, from her first dog on, to the very top of the sport. Her dogs are known for great speed, tight turns, running contacts and long and injury-free careers. Silvia is in agility since 1992 and is
– 3x World Champion (with two different dogs)
– 5x European Open winner, with 4 different dogs (Lo, La, Bu, Le)!!!
– National Championships podium and World Team member with every dog she’s ever had
– National Champion for 22-times (with 5 different dogs of 3 different breeds)

– World Team member for 19-times (mostly with at least two dogs at the time – sometimes four 🙂 )

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