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).
Hi, Silvia. I have a question from yesterday’s training with Da Vinci. I’m struggling with restraining him partly because when I release him he moves out away from me a little while driving forward. So, even though I line him up with the carpet, when I let go he ends up running down the side. I also noticed in a recall situation, if I stand too close to the carpet he veers off. If he give more lateral distance, he stays on but that makes it very hard to throw accurately. I suppose I could try restraining him by standing behind? Maybe try a harness instead of using his collar?
Yes, harness is easier. Also, maybe just use poles to give him the direction. It really doesn’t make any sense wasting time on a problem that goes away on its own.
I gave Maia a few days of rest. Today I went back and tried the plank raised at 25 cm raised again. I tried to make sure it was not wobbling side to side, which it did not, but it did ‘bounce’ a bit when she was running over it. She seemed not to mind, but next time, I will but something underneath the middle to help with that too. Do you think she is doing ok at this height? It seems to me that her hind feet are not separated enough. I am not sure what I can do to make her run even faster. I did not jackpot with a treat or a toy, only my voice :/ I’m trying to work on my mechanics of throwing the ball, watching Maia’s legs, watching the board, clicking and jackpoting all at once. I am not sure how you do it, it is hard!
It’s o.k., despite some more rear legs separation and reach forward could be even better. You might get that together with more speed when there is more angle, so it’s nothing to worry about, but do try to experiment with different ways to start and maybe also different versions of your positioning… -- maybe even racing her to a toy?
Thank you. I will try all the suggestions 🙂
Hi Silvia 🙂
I’m wondering what you think regarding the below video. I’m discovering that when I initially put the height of the D/W up and I use a manners minder or static toy I get greatdeep hits, but when I move on to “proof” that height and have a tunnel / jump at the end Liryk seems only to give me high hits.
I haven’t increased the height just yet as I wanted to show you the difference particularly with her hind feet separation vs the video on the 30th April that I put through.
Not sure if I should wait till she has better hind feet separation before increasing the height?
Little stuck!! LOL
Megan
Well, you need to fade the toy WAY more gradually as that -- we’ll be addressing that in the class, we’re just not there yet. For now, keep using a toy, but after a (very low) jump -- for so long that she starts to really search for a jump, knowing the toy is right after it. I’m fading the toy slowly enough to not get in trouble and therefore raise the height at the same time as slowly fading the toy. -- We’ll discuss the steps, for now, just put it behind the jump (and show her it’s there) if you didn’t do that before.
Thankyou 🙂 Poor Liryk she must be wondering what in the world I’m doing 😛
Here is our field running video.
and this is our plank video, from two sessions we did today.
The hardest part for me so far is actually seeing if his back feet are split or not. I catch myself marking two hits on the board all the time, regardless of what the back feet are doing. So there are a few accidental ones like that in the video. I feel like a super hero stopping time when I can actually SEE what his back feet are doing. And I think I’m actually getting better at it every now and then.
He does some big huge strides every now and then, but most look like his back feet are separated.
I’m not really sure where to go from here??
We’re still shaping the back feet tricks. I’ve done it luring him around with my body before, but shaping it is proving a lot more challenging….video when I’ve had a little more time to work on it!
Thanks!
Heather and Chip
Seeing it gets easier with time. The easiest for me is when I stand behind (about where the plank starts), throw and focus on hind feet. You could have a helper for now to give you immediate information on what you just saw: we often do that with my students, they need to show me where they saw the hind feet after each try and I tell them then when they really were. A helper can also click for you and mark what to jackpot, but do watch it yourself too as you will need to learn.
His back feet are mostly separated, but sometimes not as much as you would eventually want to, so I would keep working on flat plank some more, trying to see and jackpot tries like 5, 7, 12 and 13 and trying to get rid of tries like 4 and 15. Compare 12 and 15 -- do you see what I mean by “not always as separated as you want to”? Where to go? don’t rush things, stay here, play ball over the plank with him some more 🙂 and meantime practice seeing what he is doing 🙂 He id doing good, so you can reward all and try to see what to jackpot -- and don’t worry if you sometimes judge it wrongly -- we all do! 🙂
Silvia,
Voici notre dernière vidéo après 3 jours sans faire la planche. Qu’en penses tu ? en ralenti ce sont les mauvaises et aussi quand j’ai un doute; le reste je crois est bien. Pour toi quel est le bon rythme des séances ? 1 fois par jour ? moins ? plus ? Parfois je click des mauvais passage !
httpv://www.dailymotion.com/video/k1dDTu7IKekmMc26D1y
J’ai aussi toujours beaucoup de mal à la faire tourner des pattes arrières vers la gauche !!! même avec un mur !
Here’s our latest video after three days without the plank. What do you think? Slow Motion are bad and also when I have a doubt, the rest I think is good. For you what is the pace of the sessions? 1 time per day? less? more? Sometimes I click the wrong way!
httpv: / / http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k1dDTu7IKekmMc26D1y
It’s also always very difficult to rotate her hind legs to the left! even with a wall!
O.k., a BIG please please please note to all: when editing your videos, PLEASE cut out ALL the parts where all I can see is the plank! Because the last thing I want to see is just a plank -- in slow motion! 🙂 Doesn’t get more boring as that!
And yes, when I start with the plank work, I usually do one session almost every day, with about 20 repetitions per session. It happens to everybody to sometimes click wrongly… Just reward more enthusiastically when you clicked right! 🙂
I noticed that i have posted the comment at the Running contacts front page.
Here is a video of Zushi’s 5 th day of plank work.
I have noticed that she sometimes makes some big an very long jumps up in the air. But she still has good hind leg seperation, as i can se.Is it something that i should take care of?
Yeah, I don’t like those up in the air strides, we need to get rid of those… Try releasing her soon vs. late after the toy and see what gives you the best running. It looked to me as it’s sometimes because of a toy, thrown too late. Also, try restraining her closer vs. further away etc. in order to find the pattern. AND, make sure the plank is not rocky! To me, those high strides looked like as if she is trying to get away from the plank (that is somewhat rocky on some of the tries!). Some tries were great, but we definitely don’t want that much of up-in-the-air movement we’re getting in many of the tries. And it only started today, never saw it before?
yes it only started today. But i can also se that the plank was more bouncy today. I have a towel below the plank, to stabilise it. But i will find some more to place below the plank.
The last tryes after 2.59. I send her to a tunnel and then over the plank.
Hi, Silvia. I think we have this figured out. This morning Callie ran on a 42″ wide carpet from a tunnel. I jack-potted what I thought were good hits, but am still learning so may nave jack-potted some that weren’t worthy. Let me know what you think about that. The second session was to test out the two teeter planks being held together by sandbags. Carpet is on top of the planks. Do you think this is an appropriate setup for Callie or should we be back on the 42″ wide carpet only… or find a solid 24″ wide plank?
Kristin
Looks great! You definitely jackpotted the best ones! You can stay on the planks and even add a little bit of height after a couple of more successful sessions. Be careful though you throw far enough -- if you throw too close, it might look good only because she is getting the toy. Try throwing as far as your garden allows.
Hi, again. I experimented some with Da Vinci today. The first session, I sent him around a cone before the carpet (24″). I changed the location of the cone at one point to get more of a run at the carpet. The second session we used two teeter planks held together with sandbags and covered with the carpet. I played with a different way of restraining him as well as a lead out. Thoughts? Let me know if you think the side-by-side teeter boards are appropriate for Da Vinci or if I should go back to the carpet only.
Kristin
I liked the session with a cone far away the most. Maybe you can do the same setting with the two planks and see if you get the same result with the planks? It’s o.k. on the planks, but not as good as on carpet, but it could be because he is starting too close. Also, I wouldn’t jackpot 7 and 8 (carpet), but would definitely jackpot 9, that was a very good hind feet separation and right at the end! Also the 5 on the plank, I didn’t like THAT much as after nice hit with good hind feet separation, he is going up in the air a little bit too much -- probably because of the toy too close, but still… Let’s try the planks again, but starting with a cone as in your second carpet session and teh toy throw as far as it gets.
Je n’ai pas bien compris quel est le problème ?
Tu veux voir la planche en entier ? et nous aussi en train de lancer le jouet ?
Mon film n’est pas bien pour toi?
Que penses tu du mouvement de Fluff ?
I did not understand what the problem is?
Want to see the whole board? and we too throwing the toy?
My film is not good for you?
What do you think of the movement of Fluff?
C’etait une demade pour tout le monde de couper les videos ainsi que je ne doit pas regarder la planche sans le chien -- c’est pas tres amusant de regarde seulement la planche et ca me prendre trop de temps pour voir rien.
Otherwise, it’s going o.k. yes 🙂 You can mark which you liked and which you didn’t next time, so that I can then tell you if your judgment is o.k.
AHHH ! j’avais pas compris … je coupe le plus que je peux …
Ok je noterai, mais je l’ai fait sur quelques passages dans ma dernière vidéo et j’ai mis ? quand j’étais pas sure …. as tu vu ?
Ok I will note, but I did a few passages in my last video and I put ? when I was not sure …. did you see?
Yeah, but I don’t always understand about which try you’re asking… The best is if you mark the repetitions 1 to 10 and ask questions as the dog is running over the plank, not when all I see is the plank 🙂 To me, the best ones look as those at 1:16, 1:23, 1:48. I think you’re mostly asking for those with front foot in -- that’s o.k. too yes. But those above would be for a jackpot.