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
Hi Silvia,
I’ve read through all the comments here and have your Cik/Cap DVD. After reading I’ve come to the conclusion that I think it would be easier for me to use just one word, instead of two. I get my left and right confused, never mind running a course! Plus, I am new to agility, so running any course at this time is a challenge. My question is how will it work with one word in scenarios like the one below? If the dog is on the dog walk, and is on my left, they have to enter the tunnel next, which is on the dog’s left. If they had two words, I would just say ‘cik, cik, cik, tunnel’ and they would know to turn left and go to the tunnel. However, if I was only using one word which means ‘tight turn’ what would I do? IF I was fast enough and beside the dog, I could do a front cross and that would tell the dog what direction I want the ‘tight’ turn, but in realty, I will not be, I would be behind the dog so I can get to the next obstacle. So what would I do? Should I teach them a ‘left’ and ‘right’ command seperate and say ‘cik, cik, cik, left tunnel’ ??? That seems like a lot of words or should I just try and learn and use cik and cap??
Thank you,
(oh and yes, I will be joining your next agility foundation and handling courses! but for now, while I am teaching them the tight turns around a pole/table leg, I need to know if I should add one or two cues or will this be addressed in the agility foundation course? If so, I will wait until then)
Hm, cik doesn’t mean turn tight… It means go ahead, search for something to wrap and wrap it. So if I said it on a dog-walk, my dogs would exit it in full speed, searching ahead for a jump to collect over. So this situation is not a case for cik, it’s left -- tunnel, supported with a body language, but of course without a front cross as that would just take the dog much wider around you as necessary. Cik&cap can be used exclusively for turning over jumps and yes, of course there are situations where having a directions helps, but as I said, in 99% you should be able to be clear enough with body language. Also in a situation above I can easily have my dogs turn left without saying left, with just the body language. It’s easy to give direction even from behind, it’s just the collection that is hard to get when you’re not in a perfect spot.
Oh thank you for clarifying that for me. It makes a lot of sense! 🙂
Hi Silvia, I started working with the Cik/Cap a couple weeks ago with my 20 mo old ESS Bella…still too much snow on the ground to get out to play with it around the trees, but have improvised…started with cone wraps, then to jump post wraps without the bar up…with these we used just treats as rewards. Recently I went to using her tug-ball and the posts in our basement to increase her excitement, drive, focus & distance.
I’m thinking we’ll add a wing to a jump and start off with low jump bar & build up to her 20″ jump height to work on collection with the cik/cap…as well as start working with some distance with the sends.
Here is the video from our first session with the tug-ball & cik/cap around the basement posts. What do you think?
That’s amazingly good pronunciation of my cik&cap! 🙂 -- Not that it would matter, it was just funny as most people can’t pronounce it even if they try 🙂 Anyway, is that the most space you can find? You can’t send her around something much further apart as that? You definitely need to add more speed and more excitement, otherwise everything will fall apart once it’s there. Also, what about multi-wraps, have you been working on that?
LOL Thanks Silvia 🙂 I guess I picked it up from watching your Cik/Cap DVD. And like most people, I’m a bit dyslexic when it comes to knowing my left from right so for cik/cap I really needed some sort of a word association. I remember it by pronouncing Cik as “seek” (and left has an E)…and Cap as “szap” a mix of “sap” and “zap” (but with no word association). It amazes me that you can do cik/cap with the dogs weaving your legs so fast! I get dizzy watching that and think to myself “I’ll never get my brain to remember whether it was cik or cap”…haha, but like I’ve seen you say…all the repetitions with training cik/cap will help to remember and I can see where that is true 🙂
Yes, we do need to work on the send distance…if this snow EVER melts, we’ll be all set. But in the meantime, I’ll come up with something…as for the excitement, Bella is getting better now that she is finally learning to love to tug. And I”m sure the distance work will also add to her excitement & speed. Haven’t done any multi-wraps yet, I bet she’ll love that, will give them a try!! Thanks again for your input Silvia!
Hi Silivia,
Here my youngest boy doing cik & cap, is very welcome seeing how fast already he is, I think without cik & cap he would be far away of the wings of the jumps !
Looks great! Very cool pup indeed!
I would like to show you our first movie from cik&cap. Today I have started training with my 5 month old border collie around two trees. In the last circle she has looked back -- I know this is incorrect. Is it ok that in 0:11, when she goes from my right hand side to my left hand side, that she does it behind my back. Thanks in advance for answering.
No, crossing behind you without you, cuing it, is not good. Make sure she comes to the correct side (the one with shoulder slightly turned towards her or lowered) -- you can reinforce it by rewarding it from your hand (vs. throwing it after the turn). Turns as such look good, but I prefer somewhat tinner trees, so that they don’t learn to go too wide.
thank you so much for answer! 🙂 I will send next movies soon 🙂
Hi again
I have a cik/cak question in relation to tunnels. I understand that it means wrap, not turn, and my dog is doing really well it that on jumps. We have a problem with turns after tunnels (usually 180 degree, when I need to be ahead on course and the dog cannot see me when exiting the tunnel) . My dog runs straight out of the tunnel and wastes time before he eventually turns (I do call when he is in the tunnel). If you were to use a cik/cak command immediatelu after a tunnel command, would the dog understand that it means do the tunnel and then turn? or it this a wrong application because cik/cak also means jump collected. How do you handle this sort tunnel placement?
For tunnels, I use left&right to have them turn in the tunnel as I don’t want any confusion with running straight to the wing to wrap it.
Silvia, can you tell me how you taught your dogs the left and right commands? Also, I know that you said that we can use one word instead of two for the tight wraps, but do you think it is more advantageous to use two for the dog? What I mean, is will it be more clear to the dog if I were to use two? I have not named the wraps yet, and am not sure what to do. I’m new to agility, so I am not sure how hard it will be to use cik and cap, vs just one word, cik. Thank you 🙂
I teach left&right as a spin first and then just start naming left&right turns on a course, but of course help with lots of body language first. I think the more info the dogs have, the easier things are for them, so yes, I think having two different collection words help them. But then, it’s better to have just one and say it in time as having two and then thinking so long which is which that you’re too late saying it… But it’s not all that difficult, you learn it in the process of teaching it to the dog!
I would like to show our next movie about cik cap. We practice handling. Do you have any advices or suggestions? I didn’t learn rear crosses before. I just trained this today…I don’t know if I am doing it right.
This is our video:
Nice! Those actually weren’t rear crosses, but front crosses, but yes, you’re doing it right! 🙂
Thank you! I have read your articles about agility and you are completly right! I am a beginner. I didn’t train front crosses and handling before with Azja, but she uderstands for which tree she has to run and in what direction! All this thanks to your cik & cap! Next time I will show you rear crosses 😀
Hi Silvia,
I am thinking about getting a new puppy for agility. I think an Aussie fits me nicely in almost every way, but in America, most Aussies have their tails and dew claws removed when they are newborns. I’m not a fan of this practice and I have concerns about how it will affect the puppy’s ability to do tight turns for agility -- as in cik and cap. Are you familiar with dogs that do cik and cap with their tails and dew claws removed? How do they do with cik and cap? Are they able to perform as well as similar dogs without the removed body parts?
I have some breeders that have told me that they will leave the tails and dew claws on for me, but it worries me to pick out a puppy when it is only 2 days old. I’d like to know more about their personality before choosing and I don’t think you can tell much at such a young age!
Thanks!
Robin
Tailless dogs usually have somewhat different style of cik&cap, but they can do it really well too. Aussies in particular are usually very good in turning actually! Still, it’s strange breeders of working lines are not thinking in the direction of leaving those on… Not only it helps them move, I also think it’s prettier! 🙂
Thanks for your response! I agree that it’s strange that they keep cutting them off. It makes me question if it really is the right breed for me. I know of one agility person that believes her Aussie’s shoulder problems later in life may be due to compensating for not having a tail. It makes you wonder…
I love the Aussie (with a tail!) in your tricks class video. Beautiful dog!
Yes, I like them much better with tails… And there actually isn’t not even one breeder in US who would leave the tails on whole litter??? Hard decision yes, between having to choose the puppy right at her birth or taking a tailless dog… Probably, if you find a combination that you really like and know what the two dogs are producing, I would simply ask the breeder to leave the tail on one of the pups. In most good litters, all puppies are good 🙂 From the litters of my dogs, I would be perfectly happy with any of the puppies -- the only litter with one “bad”, strange puppy was in Bu’s litter -- and it was Bu 🙂 It was not easy to work through her autism and no-drive, but it was possible and she is actually doing great, much better as any of her littermates 🙂
I have an Aussie with a tail, and you can see him using it quite a bit when he is doing obstacles. I would not support any breeder who is cutting tails off. It’s cruel.
Hi Silvia,
When do you start with a new agility foundation class?
Well, agility foundations start end of June. -- Not sure when the next class after this one starts… Maybe October, but not sure if we have enough people able to participate then, because of the weather…