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 look 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 - you can tape it at an angle 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. You don't need to overdo the distance, especially if you have long plank/carpet, as finding the plank could be problematic or the dog before you add some more height on it. Mark anything that looks like running in the fields from the first video, jackpot when feet are close to the end of a plank/carpet. 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.
As we already discussed in comments before, 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 the best 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 also in slow motion please! 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.
Also, read through the comments and see the videos in introduction page, you can learn a lot through videos and comments of others. Once you see your dog is running nicely, with an even stride, hind feet separation and hind feet reaching further from front feet (see discussion and video on that we had in comments!), you can put a brick or something under one end of the plank and have them run over slightly elevated plank - I'll tell you when you're ready based on the videos you'll send.
Left front foot just left the ground, hind feet reaching forward - this is what I mean by hind feet reaching over where the front feet were.
And this is what I mean by hind feet separation: hind feet hitting two different spots as far apart as possible (vs. staying parallel, hitting the same spot).
Does anyone have a suggestion for how far away to place the camera when doing videos like these? I’m trying with my still camera that has video function but not sure it will be good enough. Going to try for the running on the flat today at flyball and enlist some help!!
Bekka & Piper
How about asking somebody for help? It’s much easier to get good footage if you have somebody follow the dog I think. Still camera is great for plank footage as you can predict where the dog will run 🙂 but for #1, a helper would make it easier.
I think I got good video just now using a brick for a tri-pod. : ) I’m having trouble getting clips to slow motion. My software is old I guess. I can slow motion it on my computer, but not sure how to do that for clips in a longer version to post. On a plus, I think her rear feet are nice and separated! Adding a still shot just in case I’m looking at it wrong, and will keep working on the slow-mo part!
Yeap, that’s a very good hind feet separation!
Yea! I was kind of worried about that because watching with the eye they always seem together. This is going to be fun! If the wind would stop blowing the camera off the brick… Will see if it’s different at practice today with someone to hold for a real restrained recall.
Hello Silvia,
For the 3rd assignment, can I use a ladder instead of drawer or boxes?
Angela
Yes, sure!
This is going to be fun! The pictures of Bu’s movements are really informative, cool and impressive -she really does run full speed on the dog walk. I am now hesitatign that Tjejen really do, so it will be interesting to study her movements tomorrow!
I seldom see my pug crash runs like that LOL i will see what best he can do. it’s gonna be fun for sure 🙂
Angela
Sure, different breeds run differently, that’s perfectly normal. That’s why it’s so important to know how your dogs moves.
Hi Silvia! I didn’t understand what is a cavaletti work, and how long we should have each training section?
Thank you
You can see cavalettis at the beginning of this video:
How long? Long enough to get good footage for 1 and 2 and to finish the trick for 3 and having the dog run after the toy over the plank at whatever height you’re currently at for next 3 weeks 🙂
I don’t really understand, what dog need to do on cavaletti work? Go throe the box with all 4 feet? What I have to click for?
There is nothing to click, it’s just to have them work on their feet, going through the boxes one after another. To see better what you want to see, see Ania’s video, you can see some good tries that you’re aiming for and some not good ones (jumping in and out) that you don’t want 🙂
Thanks for reply 🙂 Now it is clear to me.
Here is our first homework 🙂
I knew my puppy students will be the fastest! 🙂 Thanks for posting Gitte, I think your video will be very helpful to many! I think it’s time to put a plank on that carpet, maybe even with a little brick underneath!
Awesome!!!
I have a Flip camera—Could someone recommend a slow motion program I can get off the internet or explain how to make the video slow motion?????
thanks, Dinah
If you have windows, there is “Windows Movie Maker”. Very easy and to get really slow motion you clip and drag the slow motion setting several times onto the video you want slower.
If you have a Mac, iMovie is very user friendly.
yes thanks I have a mac… I’ll see if I can figure imovie out (my daughter who is the tek genius is out of town_
iMovie is SO easy, I also have a flip and use iMovie and I am not much of a computer geek so if I can figure it out anyone can.
I just sent you an email with iMovie ideas, assuming you are the Dinah I think you are:)
Is anyone using iMovie ’08 for the slow mo? I have that (on a MacBook), but read that it was an ‘upgrade’ that took features away, and haven’t found how to do slow mo yet. Had to pull out Final Cut Pro and would rather not have to use that for homeworks! Will be interested to see the Flip videos! Thinking of getting one of those if the camera I have doesn’t do well enough.
Mine is 09, for me to adjust the speed: when I have a video clip in “project”, if I put the cursor on the clip a small box appears in the bottom left of the clip, click on that box and choose “clip adjustment” then a box comes up that says “convert clip” for speed adjustments. Click that box, It takes a couple minutes, then there is a %box to adjust the speed. Don’t know if that is the same on the 08???
I must have an early ’09 -- slow motion isn’t an editing option… I will have to use the Flip “snapshots” in sequence… sooooo tedious…
I have a Mac too and I had to upgrade to the new Snow Leopard and then to the new iMovie 09 for the slow motion for these classes 🙂 It was worth it! And like everyone said, it is super easy to use.
Oops, I have iMovie ’11! not ’09.
I tried #1 and #2 yesterday. Filmed Da Vinci running pretty fast, but might be able to get him going a little faster so I’ll give it another try.
With the plank…I either get galloping ON the plank or fast running but missing the plank and bounding over the end. I’ve been reading that I probably shouldn’t be using an actual plank so now I need to find something to use. Haven’t read all the comments section yet, so I’m sure you have already answered this. Do I find a board or stretch of carpet to use? How long/ wide?
Also, do I have a working spot in this class? If so, I still need to pay you the difference from auditing.
Kristin
Yes, you either need a wide, thin plank or a carpet. Wider and longer the better.
By misstake I put the video on pubilc comment side. Here it is also to our class room
I think that he is not running full speed and also I have never seen he running as fast as he could, not even after other dogs. He’s speed is ok but I have feeling that there is much more.
Yeah, it does look like as if he could stretch some more and cover more ground. But this is fast enough to start plank work and I guess all the running on the plank will help him learn to run even more. Just continue that way, jackpotting the lowest hits, rewarding anything with good hind feet separation.
Silvia, what do you mean by hind feet separation? Can you please show a picture? Do you want us to click the hind feet hitting the end of the plank, not the front feet?
O.k., I added two pictures on that to my post. I also recommend seeing videos of others, we were discussing this too many details already in introduction page. Either front or hind feet deserve a click!