Most people think I gain most with running contacts, but as there are maximum two occasions to do running contacts per course (none in jumpers), that's not really true. You can gain the most on turns. Tight turns make the biggest difference, especially in nowadays 3rd degree/masters courses where it's all about the turns...
Teaching cik&cap is the best investment to
- improve your course times
- make handling and timing easier for you
- improve your dog's obstacle focus, distance skills, sends and independent performance
- take lots of stress off your dog's joints
- make turns more fun for your dog
For more on Cik&Cap, see a training DVD or join Agility Foundation Class.
Normal jump vs. cik
I have been training my dogs to do cik & cap. They seem to understand that cik means wrap left and cap means wrap right but they are confused about the fact that they need to collect and keep as close to the jump as possible. Any pointers?
BUT if they know to WRAP, then they are staying close, no??? Seriously, my guess is that you focused too much on a direction instead of tightness. Go back to just a wing, work on just the tightness and bring that bar up much slower this time. How fast did you go to final height this time?
I have different problem. When my dog is in full speed and I say cik or cap she starts to slow down very soon before the obstacle -- to be able to meet the criteria maybe? Sometimes I still train cik/cap around the trees and it’s the same. I don’t know how to accelerate her. I already tried to run with her or stay back and lure her on the ball but she is always slow before and when she ran around she almost immediately gets into full speed to get her ball.
Any ideas? What should I do?
Thank you very much!
Can you do a video and post it, it would probably tell me more about the why of the problem, as I never had this problem before…
So here is the video. Sorry for emplacement but I couldn’t be anywhere else (there is a fair here today). I was thinking that I should maybe go back to step 1 and train cik/cap only around trees until she gets full speed.
Might it helps?
She has always been like that. Always when we have trained a new trick it has taken quite a lot of time to do a trick fast.
Try putting it in sequences, add tunnels, run more. Don’t only do the same approach all the time, change angle under which she is coming from more. The more you challenge her, the better understanding you will get.
I use the same command “cap” for both directions and it seems to work very well. Limitation of this is simply that the dog must respond to the wrap based on my handling position (dog on left/dog on right). It has been very successful for me as I simply cannot think fast enough to cue wrap left vs wrap right. I rely on on Cap to cue the dog to wrap. What downside do you see here?
I think one cue is perfectly o.k. and I often tell people to just use one as they spend so much time thinking which is which that they end up saying it too late. Being in time in for sure more important as having two words! The only reason I have two words is because I can:). Dogs can learn the difference and in the process of teaching them that, I learn too. I can help them with direction with body cues in 99% and it’s good to be able to get away also in that 1%, but no, it’s for sure not essential:).
When I started my puppy with jump wraps, I used an actual jump right away with no wings and no bars. I know a few people who started with a cone or a singl pole and sent the dog around both ways and ended up with a dog that had a hard time telling te difference between a jump wrap and going to the outside of the jump and taking it towards the handler. Is this because they used just a single object to wrap around instead of two or not?
Also, to help the dog understand the direction thy should go [for example, having the dog do a “cik” wrap when they are on your left side, while you do a rear cross] just a matter of repitition? Or do I have to go to a single object and teach them to wrap around both ways? It seems the single object has disadvantages and advantages.
Well, there can be some confusion at first, but I’ve never seen a real problem because of using a single object. I just help with body language more at first. I do teach wrapping to both sides, of course, but don’t bother to proof verbal cues at any point, I just continue with the project and eventually, they learn the direction too. But as already said, direction is never my priority.
Ok, I wanted to ask about just deviating to the left or right as opposed to wing wraps. If the dog is ahead of you and you are sending them forward, what if they need to deviate to the left to do the next jump without running past it or perhaps doing a wrong obstacle but without turning back to see you…they’d have to look over their shoulder to see any body gestures but this would be different to a wing wrap in a dogs eyes. How do you tackle just deviations to the left and right in order to do the next obstacle when the dog is ahead of you? This is something mine have got to get used to.
Not sure if I understand the question… If you’re asking what verbal cue I give when I want the dog to jump in left/right direction, but with full length of the jump, with no collection, then the answer is left&right.:) It tells the dog to extend in one or another direction. Cik&cap tells the dog to collect in one or another direction.
Yes, I think you understood.
I meant the difference between moving forward but only going slightly left or right afterwards…as opposed to a wing wrap.
For example, you might have one jump then after that jump, there may be two jumps side by side. You might be a little behind the dog and need to let the dog know which jump to take. The one on the left or the one on the right.
Do you use the slovenian versions of left and right I take it? The english versions don’t sound great as such fast cues for that situation for me….they seem too soft.
Also, any good tips for teaching a dog to turn slightly left or right but carry on going forwards if you are a little behind?
O.k., it’s left&right then. It means keep going full speed, but to one or another direction. I actually use English words for that one as slovenian two words sound too similar. Left&right works perfectly o.k. for me.
I found that some dogs are better in differentiating verbal cues than others, so that might be another reason to use just one cue instead of two.
Vigo understands two commands to the point that he would flick away from me and react irrespective of my position. Same with left/ right, I once made mistake in the competition and he turned left as told, not right as I moved.
Sunday understood that she has to decellarate and wrap around something, but she simply doesn’t get two directions, relying mainly on my position. She commonly mistakes other vocal cues as well. So I just started using only cik with her, meaning turn tightly in the direction I’m moving :).
I have the same experience with my dogs. Bu will always do exactly what told, even if it doesn’t make any sense:). And Bi is TERRIBLE with verbal cues. La is somewhere in the middle. I still use cik&cap with all of them, despite I don’t trust Bi to know the direction on verbal cue only. But maybe one day… It would be too complicated for ME to use just one with her and two with the others anyway.:)
I also made this experience, my dog is just not listening, especially on a competition 🙁 . If we´re training just cik&cap in our backyard he knows it exactly …
Do you have any tip for me to train this?
With Bi, it’s different, she does the wrap, just doesn’t listen in which direction. In your case, it seems you just need to proof it under more excitement. Add it gradually and make the trainings look more and more like competitions.
My Pyre is the same with direction. what do you recommend, just repetition?
Yes. I don’t obsess with direction. It will come eventually. Or, you can just go to one cue as Olga said, whatever you prefer.
Hi, I want to train my dog to jump tight, but I think I don’t be able to use two commands. Can I use the same word just for jumping tight and show the direction with my body signal?
I’ll wait yor video! Thanks!
Yes, you can. We are discussing this above.
Loving all this thanks so much
Hi, I would like to share my experience with cik&cap. The most common mistake czech handlers do is, that they don´t change the position during the process. They learn the dog to go straight ahead, to run around the wing and to come back to handler. Next step they put the bar higher. They start to use cik&cap in sequences after they get the full high -- and then they are surprised, that the dog is not able to do nice cik/cap when the handler is straight running with him to do (for example) the frontcross behind the cik-jump … so they confuse the dog and are not satisfied with him …
My advice -- read Silvia´s article more carefuly and think first before training 😉
how do you get your dogs to run so fast??? just saw your newest video amazing to see the dogs just run and run.
I guess there is no one easy answer to this question. It starts in their puppyhood, making running with me great fun, always reinforcing speed, enthusiasm, action, building confidence and body awareness. It continues through teaching cik&cap, running full speed from one object to another. And the top of it is to keep all training very short, intense, lots of fun, fun, fun and no drill. Will make a training video on speed&motivation too.:)
great! 😀 Trying to make my dogs run fast but is not that easy. i ll think this forum is very helpfull 🙂