# Everyday Training videos...share with us what you're doing!



## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

We were talking about videoing ourselves training at home and how helpful it can be to see what you're doing. It's also helpful for solving training issues and for us to see what's going on with problems you're having. Just for the heck of it, I'll start a thread so we can share training videos...you might see someone working on something you want to try with your dog. You might see someone doing something and want to ask why did they choose to do "x, y, z."

Feel free to post anything you're working on...sports, tricks, dog manners, play/egagement with your dogs, etc. It sounds like a lot of us are training by ourselves...having eyes on us can help us all become better trainers/handlers. 

I'll fire this off with last night's training sessions:

Working fronts for obedience:











Obedience Broad Jump with O:






Play break with Lars:






I have more...they are processing and I'll post when they're ready.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Heeling....left turns, about turns, and slow pace were the objectives:











Obedience Broad Jump with Lars:






Agilities with Ocean (he was sort of tired at this point LOL)


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## 3212 (Feb 4, 2007)

Awesome! I love the focus! I just find it so rewarding to train with my pup. We're nowhere near where you guys are, but I think Arya is doing pretty well for 10 months. She's stubborn at times, but she is very smart. We're hoping to take the CGC after she turns one in May. 

I took a recent video of her working with our 8 year old. I was pretty proud of how well she listened. I'll have to get it uploaded from my phone, so I can post it.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

I like this idea! Love watching your videos MrsBoats!

I have a short one from last night. Took Skye to the little park by my house and played with our new Chuckit. We started on a long line, practiced some stay and recalls and then graduated to letting her off the leash for a little bit. We haven't done a lot of off leash work yet so I'm still super careful and paranoid (why I'm not throwing the ball very far). She did super!


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

She did do really, really well! You should be happy with that. I love training that is disguised as play where the dog is none the wiser. 

I can't wait to see Arya's videos and your other dog's videos. 

I'm hoping that people who find training in front of a camera daunting and intimidating face that pressure and just do it. If you make mistakes...no biggie, that's how things progress. We all make mistakes...I made a mistake by trying blind crosses and front crosses in front of O in that agility video. Now I know that the front cross I tried in the trial where we ran this jumpers course first really wasn't the right handling move for us. I wanted to see if I could pull it off where he wasn't running at full speed. Mistakes are how learning happens. I learned in that heeling session with O...using a ball in a reinforcer was actually making him go wide on his about turns. He was anticipating me throwing it at him....I have to change that on my end and probably go back to food rewards there were I can reward better for position. It's all learning stuff that works and doesn't work for you and your dog. Mistakes are part of dog training... 

I wish I did have my camera and tripod last night when I practiced a few things with Lars after I was doing teaching rally. I made him do directed jumping go outs through the sea of rally signs and cones. I put the two jumps close to where they should have been in a utility ring. The first attempt...Lars didn't fully get what was happening and that he was supposed to run away in a straight line. That's why I did all that....that go outs happen no matter what is on the floor or are distractions. PROOFING AT IT'S BEST!!!  The second go and the rest of the 10 go outs that I did...he understood what his job was and nailed it. Then I did signals with my back against the basic manners class running directly behind me. I needed the heavy distraction and movement of the dogs and handlers heeling in a circle behind me. Proofing again...Lars, no matter what is going on behind me, you need to watch me and follow my signals. He did pretty well with that too. So wish I had videoed that.... Oh well....maybe next time.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Hmm would anyone be interested in 15 second trick videos? Most don't actually show the handler (me) because I am usually the one filming Meeko doing the behavior.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Ooh I like this! I video a LOT. I don't post them often but I'll post a few from the last week or so.

I love watching other people train. I always learn something.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Stuff from the last few weeks.

Agilities











Nosework intro (LOL)






Nosework medley





Stuff


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

This is a great idea. I'll try to get some of Toast this weekend.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

sassafras said:


> This is a great idea. I'll try to get some of Toast this weekend.


Toast is so cute! I can hardly wait!


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

I need to make a new video of Watson training. I have a nice new camera, I just need to get a tripod for it.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

We just worked a little bit on turns in heel and a finish today. I actually haven't taught a front yet, which is why I have to walk in front of him to do the finish. He's not as flashy as some mals (part of that is I could stand to walk a little faster, I guess) but he's doing pretty well, I think.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

He looks good! I think he might be a flashy heeler if you moved at a faster clip. But, I wouldn't worry about adding the speed to heeling right now at this point. Also, I'm not sure if it's the camera...but he looks like his butt is higher than his withers right now? When O's butt was higher than the rest him...heeling with attention was challenging physically for him because he practically had to bow himself upwards to get his head up. LOL I laid off of a lot of heeling when he was in that stage of the puppy ganglies. LOL

Hank will be an agility rock star...mark my words. 

I love seeing all of the videos!!! I am really glad I'm decided to start this thread.

I'm getting read to go and work my own goofs. Lars' agenda as chosen by my Train 'Em Tasks cards are: Retrieve over high jump, Directed Retrieve, Directed Jumping, Dumbbell, and Heeling: right turns. O had an upset stomach the other day...I'll see if he's up to doing some agility. If he does...I'll be working on his "Go On" skills and backwards motion handling for me. Video to come later...


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Here's tonight work with Lars (with an Ocean cameo) 

Retrieve on the flat and Retrieve over the High Jump first:






Short heeling session with Lars and Ocean crashes the party and does some Retrieving on the flat and over the high jump:






Then Lars and I go on a Directed Jumping and Directed Retrieve binge...two very different exercises that are similar in the dog's mind. Proofing....proofing....proofing.... 

Did do the agility with O....but the camera batteries died out... next time.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Love Hank agilities!

Nice heeling Toast! He is the cutest! What happened to your puppy?! lol 

MrsBoats love the one middle one with Lars (I think?) rolling around behind you. Always impressed by you and your boys.

I really enjoy watching everyone's videos!

Zoey had a super awesome agility practice last night that I'm so happy I got on video.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Oh my gosh, look at her amazing weaves! She's so cute and happy, and is that Luke practicing his down-stay?

MrsBoats, I love your boys.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

No recent videos of my own to add, but I love this thread!


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

sassafras said:


> Oh my gosh, look at her amazing weaves! She's so cute and happy, and is that Luke practicing his down-stay?


haha yes! Luke is our training supervisor. Having him in the ring actually helps keep Zoey a little higher and being released for a play session is pretty rewarding for her. Now only if that would work in a trial....


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is the only thing I will be working on for the foreseeable future. I am so frustrated! 

My whippet does a nice job on the weaves when he hits the entry, but he really struggles to dump enough speed to be in there. Very challenging. I feel very stuck and a little hopeless. I think this is going to be a very serious problem in trials.

Any ideas?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l7J3rLaVN4


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

That's a very familiar problem here. Not sure what to do but I feel your pain.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I think I am going to take the 4 week "Collection" class at Agility U. It starts on Monday. I think I have a "collection" issue more than a "weave" issue. He really likes to weave; he just goes too fast for his own good. If I could cue collection on his approach, he would nail that entry. We just have NOTHING in the way of collection. I am not going to trial this dog until we work this out. I am very bummed about it.


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## Mesonoxian (Oct 16, 2014)

Love this thread! Getting feedback from non-familiar "dog people" is definitely beneficial.

(Please ignore my annoying voice, and horrible lisp) :lalala:

This video is a little on the older side, but developing the hind-end perch is still around the same level as in this video. We _have_ made big strides in pivoting with front feet on perch though - yay! (but no vid of that)





Encouraging target generalization and building distance for this behavior has been a challenge, but we're going back to baby steps.





We're also having fun working on some Freestyle heelwork moves, but I haven't taken any video yet. I'm entering a crazy couple of weeks, but maybe by mid May I'll break out the video camera.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

trainingjunkie said:


> I think I am going to take the 4 week "Collection" class at Agility U. It starts on Monday. I think I have a "collection" issue more than a "weave" issue. He really likes to weave; he just goes too fast for his own good. If I could cue collection on his approach, he would nail that entry. We just have NOTHING in the way of collection. I am not going to trial this dog until we work this out. I am very bummed about it.


Okay....I watched the videos. Mahto has amazing jumping form! 

How long has he been doing agility?? Neither of my guys are big fans of collection and deceleration in agility. Lars eventually did figure it out because I did a lot of tunnel to poles and straight line jumps into poles. He wouldn't attempt the entry if he didn't collect enough. "Easy" ended up becoming a verbal collection cue for us just from me using it in places where he really did need to dial it back. With enough mileage, "easy" before weave poles did solve the drive by pole issues we had from him just not slowing down. 

O has the same problem...and I don't have the same mileage with high speed pole entries and the mileage on "easy" really meaning something. So...I have to start building that mileage with him now. I spent so much time last year working on him understanding what handling was, other things like this was put on the back burner. This year will be all around agility skill work with him. 

In fact, last night was 180's and weave entries for us. I even broke out Lars in weave poles. Now that he does have that UD, I think I'll let him go back to playing in agility off and on. He needs a leg in Open Standard and two in Open jumpers. I might see if we can just go and get those at some point. Lars handles so differently than O. O needs a front cross after the 180 to get the poles....Lars hates me doing the front cross and keeps the dropping bar before the poles. He's wants me out of the way so he can do his job. When I try to stay out of O's way....he can't get the pole entry at all. It's interesting to see how seriously different they are handling wise. (Anytime you guys see me just stop, stand, and stare off at the agility field or obedience ring....that's me having an epiphany on something. LOL The brain is working overtime and I'm having an AH HA moment!!! LOLOLOL)


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for looking! 

I have owned this whippet for 10 months. He had some limited agility training before I got him. We are really new as a team. He hasn't seen equipment since last November, so lots of cobwebs!

He is really good at fast and does not have much language for "easy" or "slow."

I am totally going to take the collection class. He has never competed in agility and we won't start until I am confident that he can qualify in Masters. I keep going back and forth on running him at 24 or dropping him to 20. 24 looks so, so high. The jumps in my video were at 24. At 20, he can run that line and find that entry. The power he needs to clear 24 makes putting on the brakes that much harder.

I have a whole lot to learn with this guy. He is a pretty wonderful dog.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I finally gave up on jumping both boys at 24 because they just won't slow down enough to get themselves over the jumps. They totally know if they hit something (including me) hard enough....it will move, break, or give in someway. Why slow down to get over the jumps when we can just smash through them. Ugh... At 20", they can get themselves over the jumps without having to completely alter how they run. 

Lars didn't fully get the whole collection before the weaves thing until he was about 4 years old (and he started foundation agility at 8 months old.) O is three and a half....I have a feeling he will figure it out this year that he needs to slow the hell down before he annihilates the weave poles. LOL O started agility at 6 months...and after having Lars, I did a lot of collection stuff in his foundation...or I thought I did enough. He didn't find his speed until he had been trialing for about a year...and now I'm dealing with collection issues again. O knows how powerful he is....and unless I give him a hard, two handed shaking fist slow down cue....he doesn't slow down. LOL


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

I feel super cheesy posting this when eveyone's posting these, like, elite performance videos, but here's my cameraphone recording of Cassius's tricks for the Novice Trick Dog thing. I just submitted it today 






(The crate is my smaller dog's crate, but I was too lazy to bring his XXL crate in from the truck just to demo that he knows how to kennel up. So yeah, it's too small for him, and he was grumpy about me making him go in there, lol.)

I'll see if I can get someone to video our next Rally Advanced runthrough.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

Just want to say all your videos look so amazing, and so so advanced to me lol. The issues you're talking about I don't even SEE lol. I should video some more of my beginner stuff to counteract all your guys' excellence and remind you all how amazing you and your dogs are.


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## Emavo (Mar 29, 2015)

parus said:


> I feel super cheesy posting this when eveyone's posting these, like, elite performance videos, but here's my cameraphone recording of Cassius's tricks for the Novice Trick Dog thing. I just submitted it today


Aw, he's such a cutie.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Great work Parus!!!

Good dog training is good dog training no matter what skill you are working on. We all just train the dog we have on the skill that has our attention. I enjoy watching everyone's training videos! Thank you for sharing. This is a really fun thread!


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

These were a bit ago but here's Hank's weaves! We need some entry work.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

MrsBoats said:


> I finally gave up on jumping both boys at 24 because they just won't slow down enough to get themselves over the jumps. They totally know if they hit something (including me) hard enough....it will move, break, or give in someway. Why slow down to get over the jumps when we can just smash through them. Ugh... At 20", they can get themselves over the jumps without having to completely alter how they run.
> 
> Lars didn't fully get the whole collection before the weaves thing until he was about 4 years old (and he started foundation agility at 8 months old.) O is three and a half....I have a feeling he will figure it out this year that he needs to slow the hell down before he annihilates the weave poles. LOL O started agility at 6 months...and after having Lars, I did a lot of collection stuff in his foundation...or I thought I did enough. He didn't find his speed until he had been trialing for about a year...and now I'm dealing with collection issues again. O knows how powerful he is....and unless I give him a hard, two handed shaking fist slow down cue....he doesn't slow down. LOL


I think that "Collection" is an eternal training issue. Dogs like to go fast. Slow sucks. Therefore, Collection is Forever. At least that is what I am thinking. Who knows. I was never able to teach Gator collection. Fortunately, he could get in the weaves. Too bad he never hit a contact. Now that he is all done in agility, I am starting over. Hopefully I am wiser this time. 

24 is really, really high. I was running Mahto on a fast line today and sent him to the back side of the jump. He charged around and slipped, so he came back to me UNDER the jump instead of over it due to loss of footing. He didn't even have to duck. I am not sure I want to do a lot of 24 inch jumping. But, if I want a MACH, that's the height. With your boys, their bodies are so solid that I wouldn't even consider going higher. My boy weighs 32 pounds. That's a lot less mass to get up in the air. Things to think about.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Laurelin said:


> These were a bit ago but here's Hank's weaves! We need some entry work.


He is adorable! No shortage of energy there! You are going to have so much fun with him!


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

trainingjunkie said:


> 24 is really, really high. I was running Mahto on a fast line today and sent him to the back side of the jump. He charged around and slipped, so he came back to me UNDER the jump instead of over it due to loss of footing. He didn't even have to duck. I am not sure I want to do a lot of 24 inch jumping. But, if I want a MACH, that's the height. With your boys, their bodies are so solid that I wouldn't even consider going higher. My boy weighs 32 pounds. That's a lot less mass to get up in the air. Things to think about.


Oh absolutely...my dogs are 3 times the weight of Mahto. 90 pounds is a lot of mass to be flinging over a 24" jump. I want O to have a long career with a "P" versus that "M." Plus, 20" is the universal height of what they would jump in NADAC, USDAA, and AKC in preferred. I've had a lot of people try to tell me that jumping them at 24" is where they **should** be for a variety of different reasons. Last summer I finally said whatever and 20" is what O is going to jump after he couldn't Q to save his life in 24" all summer long.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

MrsBoats said:


> Oh absolutely...my dogs are 3 times the weight of Mahto. 90 pounds is a lot of mass to be flinging over a 24" jump. I want O to have a long career with a "P" versus that "M." Plus, 20" is the universal height of what they would jump in NADAC, USDAA, and AKC in preferred. I've had a lot of people try to tell me that jumping them at 24" is where they **should** be for a variety of different reasons. Last summer I finally said whatever and 20" is what O is going to jump after he couldn't Q to save his life in 24" all summer long.


My only struggle is that Mahto keeps the bars up and looks pretty good going over that monstrous jump. He seems fine. Still, it makes me cringe. I have a bigger problem with it than he does. I am still going back and forth. I want a long career for him too. Not sure if 4 more inches is a problem. I think I will start him preferred. I don't know. In CPE, he's a 20 inch dog. Undecided for now!


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Emavo said:


> Aw, he's such a cutie.


He likes to think so, lol



trainingjunkie said:


> Great work Parus!!!
> 
> Good dog training is good dog training no matter what skill you are working on. We all just train the dog we have on the skill that has our attention. I enjoy watching everyone's training videos! Thank you for sharing. This is a really fun thread!


Thanks  I started that Do More With Your Dog trick training thing off and on a couple months ago, because it was -40 and we were bored, lol. Cas already knew a lot of the "tricks" just because they're stuff required for the sports we dabble in, but both my dogs really enjoyed our little mini-training games. Currently I'm working on the advanced tricks with Cas, and some of them are really challenging to teach!

Queenie hasn't quite got Novice yet...she needs a few more, and she needs to firm up a couple of the ones in the video before they should really count as tricks. But she's 13 years old and also not very smart, so patience is called for. She is a boss at opening doors, though. She likes that trick.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

I love all your tricks parus.  And Queenie is adorable! Cas reminds me of a GS I knew growing up. They're such kind dogs.  And so smart too!

Here's today's training session with Porsche.  Fairly typical of right now. She's coming along! Any tips or comments would be much appreciated. <3 And yes I know my flooring still sucks.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

Question... A few times in the video you see me ask for a stand, and by the time I can treat she's already sitting again. So I ask for a stand again, click again, then treat. Sometimes multiple times before I'm able to treat in stand. 

What's the proper protocol for that? I know click for action feed for position, so should I not be clicking that second, third time? Just ask again, don't click, feed in position? Or is clicking again beneficial cause it tells her the specific action I want more clearly?


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Alla said:


> I love all your tricks parus.  And Queenie is adorable! Cas reminds me of a GS I knew growing up. They're such kind dogs.  And so smart too!


Queenie is ridiculous. But no one can say she does not do things with enthusiasm. 

Cas is actually the first Giant Schnauzer I've ever met. If they're mostly like him, I'm well-sold on the breed.



> Here's today's training session with Porsche.  Fairly typical of right now. She's coming along! Any tips or comments would be much appreciated. <3 And yes I know my flooring still sucks.


Aww, she's so willing and attentive.


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

Alla said:


> Question... A few times in the video you see me ask for a stand, and by the time I can treat she's already sitting again. So I ask for a stand again, click again, then treat. Sometimes multiple times before I'm able to treat in stand.
> 
> What's the proper protocol for that? I know click for action feed for position, so should I not be clicking that second, third time? Just ask again, don't click, feed in position? Or is clicking again beneficial cause it tells her the specific action I want more clearly?


When you click, you should always feed. Yes, it's a mistake, but always feed. Next time, you will know to wait for the command before you click. This is just what I would do. I noticed that when she did the stand successfully after that, you didn't click, but you did feed. Nothing serious. The other thing I noticed is that she doesn't seem to have much drive for the food. A couple of things you can try is to make her come into your hand for the food instead of bringing your hand to her or offering it on the ground in front of her. Also, you can toss the reward too, but you probably don't want her slipping on the tile. If you can bring her drive up a bit, she will perform with more mmppff if you know what I mean.

Great video though.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

I don't have any videos yet  Maybe when SO comes back, I can get him to record something for me.

Just wanted to say that I love this thread, and I think that you all (and your dogs) are AWESOME!


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

Working on recall (rusty on whistle and new test on chew)


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## pandification (Apr 15, 2014)

I've deleted most of my videos from my phone but I have uploaded most to Kratos' Instagram!

Kommanderkratos


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

https://youtu.be/5IfUoMqtpCg


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I feel like it's cheating to train in the basement, because we are supposed to be working on engagement outside, but it's so darn hot, and I had some heeling things I wanted to work on, so here we are. My goals were to tighten up left turns/pivots, and to make him jump into heeling instead of lagging behind. We were cleaning up right turns a couple weeks ago so I threw some in to see how he would do. It ends abruptly because my camera battery died. We continued on with some play and some quick jumping reps after this.

Holy cow butt out. Haha. He used to be straighter. Mostly I was excited that he was excited to heel, since I tried to work on it outside last week and he was so laggy and not into it. I wish I could get this kind of energy everywhere! Lots of little things to tighten up but I'm just happy he's happy.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

Elrohwen your heeling looks so awesome!!! Would you mind explaining a little bit how you worked with the pivoting to get him to come into heel like that? It feels like it would be very easy to get stuck at the "pivot only on block" step.

Here's a little session today at the park. Check out her stand-stays!!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Alla, basically what you see in that video are the steps I took to train heeling, just very much sped up because I was using it for a quick review with him. Some people move to pivoting on something flat like a piece of paper, but I just went from the bowl to the floor and he figured it out. One thing not shown in the videos that I did is called pocket hand. Basically a hand on you pant seam that guides the dog. You start with a treat and get the dog to put his nose up in the pocket created by your hand. You can use that to control their head and even their rear end. It was a great concept I learned through Fenzi classes. So the dog can pivot on a bowl then you move to pivot on the ground but you have your hand to help the dog move his butt around. Then eventually you take the hand guide away and the dog is doing it on his own. The biggest issue I had was fading the hand guide, but that was because my dog needed to understand the position on his own which we got eventually. I liked that I could help with with my hand if necessary on turns and it creates a heads up position. 

And I didn't teach him to swing into the finish at all. Once he had done it on the bowl enough he just did it on the ground too. So that's a perk of using pivots to train heeling. 

This video is from a long time ago and shows the progression from bowl to floor and how I use my hand to guide. My hand should be at my pant seam though and not out in front like I have it. Bad trainer. 

http://youtu.be/rfbHttF150U


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Alla said:


> Elrohwen your heeling looks so awesome!!! Would you mind explaining a little bit how you worked with the pivoting to get him to come into heel like that? It feels like it would be very easy to get stuck at the "pivot only on block" step.
> 
> Here's a little session today at the park. Check out her stand-stays!!


Looking good !! I really like the high rate of reinforcement you're using for the stays. 

If you want to add a little bit more spark to the heeling, maybe try using a similarly high rate of reinforcement there too. For example, paying at each about-turn (going in / coming out of it) will help teach the dog to stay in tight and to change direction easily and fluidly.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

> If you want to add a little bit more spark to the heeling, maybe try using a similarly high rate of reinforcement there too. For example, paying at each about-turn (going in / coming out of it) will help teach the dog to stay in tight and to change direction easily and fluidly.


May I ask how? While moving? Or stop before and after each turn?
I just tried it in a session while moving, and I can't get my hand in front of her face and i get my limbs all over the place. 
But I do like the idea of stopping before and after each turn....


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

What do you want out of heeling? Do you want a heads up focused heel? Or just to be next to your left side? I ask because I would train them differently. Right now she's walking at your left leg, and if that's what you want, then I agree with just offering reinforcement more often to get her a little more peppy and responsive to your turns. Keep some treats ready in your hand, keep your hand somewhere specific (at your waist AKC-style, at your hip, etc) so that it's an easy fluid movement to bring the food down to the dog and you make that same movement every time. She will start watching you more if she thinks more rewards are coming, and will pay better attention when you are turning. It's best if you can reward in movement, but that can be hard especially with dogs who are weird about putting their head down and chewing every single reward even if it's small and soft.

If you want a heads up more animated heel, I would completely break it down and start with pivots on a bowl, pivots on the floor, etc. And get her following a lure in your hand (however you want to do it, not necessarily pocket hand) to get her head up. Take it very step by step - if she can do one step with her head up, reward it and release. Work up to two steps, reward, etc. She should be able to find heel position from anywhere, and if you take little steps forward, backward, or to the right she should be able to move with you. I wouldn't put in a lot of steps until all of that ground work is done.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

To answer your question, I want both.  I want a head-wherever, stay at my side heel for your basic leash manners and walks. We do about 80% of walks in the kind of heel you see on this video (just not with so many turns, only if she starts pulling). I want her to stay with me, and pay attention to me, so we are able to safely be in crowded areas, around other leashed dogs, etc. 

I also want the heads up heel position, which will have a different command. I haven't started that with her yet (well, just a tiny little bit in the house). I'm itching to try the pivoting thing, but I haven't found anything round and of the right size for her. Everything is either too fragile, too tall, or too slippery. I'll find something tonight.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Alla said:


> To answer your question, I want both.  I want a head-wherever, stay at my side heel for your basic leash manners and walks. We do about 80% of walks in the kind of heel you see on this video (just not with so many turns, only if she starts pulling). I want her to stay with me, and pay attention to me, so we are able to safely be in crowded areas, around other leashed dogs, etc.


I don't have a cue for this, I just shorten up the leash and he is expected to keep it loose, so he ends up walking right at my side. And when he was little I rewarded the heck out of him being near my left leg, but didn't ask for formal heeling or anything. In obedience classes this is basically what we did for "heel". I think this looks really good based on the video! She is with you, not pulling, etc. For this type of heel I don't even necessarily want the dog to be super excited and flashy - he should just be relaxed and with me. Unlike the heads up heel where he needs to be on and focused 100%. If I were you I would start adding distractions and see if she can stay with you.



> I also want the heads up heel position, which will have a different command. I haven't started that with her yet (well, just a tiny little bit in the house). I'm itching to try the pivoting thing, but I haven't found anything round and of the right size for her. Everything is either too fragile, too tall, or too slippery. I'll find something tonight.


The best thing I've found is black rubber horse/livestock feed bowls. The local feed store sells them in all sizes. The two I have are made for dogs and not horses and were in the dog section, but they are the same brand and material. They are non-slip, sturdy, good height, etc. I love them!


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

> I don't have a cue for this, I just shorten up the leash and he is expected to keep it loose, so he ends up walking right at my side. And when he was little I rewarded the heck out of him being near my left leg, but didn't ask for formal heeling or anything. In obedience classes this is basically what we did for "heel". I think this looks really good based on the video! She is with you, not pulling, etc. For this type of heel I don't even necessarily want the dog to be super excited and flashy - he should just be relaxed and with me. Unlike the heads up heel where he needs to be on and focused 100%. If I were you I would start adding distractions and see if she can stay with you.


I like having a command for this so that she knows what to expect. Almost like a courtesy lol. And yes, I'm working through a program right now with adding distractions and proofing and that kind of stuff. 



> The best thing I've found is black rubber horse/livestock feed bowls. The local feed store sells them in all sizes. The two I have are made for dogs and not horses and were in the dog section, but they are the same brand and material. They are non-slip, sturdy, good height, etc. I love them!


A friend of mine has a few, and we considered it, but decided Porsche is too heavy for it and could break it and scare herself. :\ And I can't say I want to buy a brand new one.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Alla said:


> A friend of mine has a few, and we considered it, but decided Porsche is too heavy for it and could break it and scare herself. :\ And I can't say I want to buy a brand new one.


Oh really? They seem really sturdy to me. I mean, I've seen horses step on them and not break them, and I know GSD people use them. Leerburg even sells them specifically for training pivoting. She might flex it a little bit, but I really don't think she would break it.
http://leerburg.com/1329.htm


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Yeah, we have those. The agility place hands them out in foundations. I've used them for piviots and paw targets with Thud. I've seen horses standing on them. They're pretty indestructible.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

elrohwen said:


> Oh really? They seem really sturdy to me. I mean, I've seen horses step on them and not break them, and I know GSD people use them. Leerburg even sells them specifically for training pivoting. She might flex it a little bit, but I really don't think she would break it.
> http://leerburg.com/1329.htm


Looks like I'm stopping at the horse store on the way home.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

We started learning "play dead" last week


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Cute! We started working on that too actually!


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Alla said:


> I just tried it in a session while moving, and I can't get my hand in front of her face and i get my limbs all over the place.


Maybe because you're feeding with your right hand all of the time? Especially when it comes to heeling, I think that you'll find it much easier and more accurate if you learn to feed with the left hand. Should make for straighter sits at halts too. If it's too difficult to hold the leash with your right hand, leash in front, then perhaps try holding it with your right hand but have the leash go around your back side to help prevent or limit any forging. This will leave your left hand totally free to deliver treats while on the go.

Fumbling with the lead while teaching heel is usually pretty typical. That's why personally I find it much easier to teach it off-leash to begin with, and then later add in the leash once proper positioning is firmly established. Here is a video that shows the basic idea of utilizing a circular pattern in the initial stages, and perhaps more importantly .. using free choice on the part of the dog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5il8ym0ymY 

K. I'll dummy up now since I do know this is more of a showcase thread rather than an instructional one.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

petpeeve said:


> Maybe because you're feeding with your right hand all of the time? Especially when it comes to heeling, I think that you'll find it much easier and more accurate if you learn to feed with the left hand. Should make for straighter sits at halts too. If it's too difficult to hold the leash with your right hand, leash in front, then perhaps try holding it with your right hand but have the leash go around your back side to help prevent or limit any forging. This will leave your left hand totally free to deliver treats while on the go.
> 
> Fumbling with the lead while teaching heel is usually pretty typical. That's why personally I find it much easier to teach it off-leash to begin with, and then later add in the leash once proper positioning is firmly established.


All of this except I didn't watch the video.


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## ormommy (Mar 30, 2015)

Ok...
1. I'm really impressed with all of you who have clean enough houses/yards to show on video, and I'm jealous of the acreage. 

2. Seriously, how do you juggle all this. Maybe it's my balance issuesand cognitive impairment from health conditions, but I'm always tripping on the leash, dropping a treat, forgetting the correct term (I'm horrid at leave it vs. drop it), and so forth. Does it come with practice, or what?

I'm too fat to voluntarily go on camera and post it, but what do you record on anyways? I have a Verizon Android...it could probably do it.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ormommy said:


> Ok...
> 1. I'm really impressed with all of you who have clean enough houses/yards to show on video, and I'm jealous of the acreage.


Well, I don't have kids, half of my basement is set up for dog training (and my husband got really into organizing all of our basement junk a couple years ago). And we just got lucky with the acreage. I keep wanting to take video in our little agility area out back, but they call for rain every day and I don't want to leave my camera out in a thunderstorm (usually we train, then leave the stuff there and go for a walk for an hour, and I don't want to leave it out to get rained on).



> 2. Seriously, how do you juggle all this. Maybe it's my balance issuesand cognitive impairment from health conditions, but I'm always tripping on the leash, dropping a treat, forgetting the correct term (I'm horrid at leave it vs. drop it), and so forth. Does it come with practice, or what?


It just takes time and practice really. Some people are more naturally coordinated about stuff than others, but it takes everybody a bit of time. I'm fairly good with stuff off leash, but it's always tricky to try to hold a leash, clicker, treats, some other prop, etc. It's like any other mechanical skill that you just need to do it enough until it comes easily. It can really help to practice some things without the dog first to figure out your own footwork, then add the dog back in. It's also much much easier to do things without a leash first.



> I'm too fat to voluntarily go on camera and post it, but what do you record on anyways? I have a Verizon Android...it could probably do it.


I use an older canon digital camera. It's not super fancy, but does have some features. It's also wide with a flat bottom so I can just set it on a chair or flat surface. I keep the memory card clear so I can take reasonably long videos. When I've tried on my phone I run out of room after less than a minute and the video cuts out.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

> 1. I'm really impressed with all of you who have clean enough houses/yards to show on video, and I'm jealous of the acreage.


Lol yep, that's why I only record in the house on good days.  You don't want to see my house most of the time, you really don't...



> Seriously, how do you juggle all this. Maybe it's my balance issuesand cognitive impairment from health conditions, but I'm always tripping on the leash, dropping a treat, forgetting the correct term (I'm horrid at leave it vs. drop it), and so forth. Does it come with practice, or what?


It totally comes with practice lol. But yes I struggle with all the above too (see my posts a few posts above about treating while heeling...). I kind of make do with my own limitations. I've dropped the clicker from our sessions, I just use timing of delivery to communicate what I want (less precise, but oh well, works for me). I deliver treats with the wrong hand all the time. Yesterday we were walking and heeling, and then I had the leash short and her in a sit in heel position. Started walking and said "Let's go" instead of "heel", which I only use when she's on a longer leash, and she's like "oh, okay, i get more freedom, run!" and started pulling. So I gave the right command while we were already walking and she's like "ohhh okay, heel, right, that means walk right here" and immediately stopped pulling and walked nicely. Dogs are forgiving, the most damage you'll do is take a little longer to communicate what you want than if you were perfect.

Heck if I tried to be perfect I'd never train at all. Hello training anxiety, nice to see you again!



> I'm too fat to voluntarily go on camera and post it, but what do you record on anyways? I have a Verizon Android...it could probably do it.


No one here will judge. 
I use a Nikon camera mounted on a tripod I've had for ages. Works nicely to set up wherever I want.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Alla said:


> No one here will judge.


Oh yeah. Watch enough videos of people training their dogs and you will see every variety of pj pants ever made. We are not a crew to judge what people look like in their videos! We're just watching the adorable dogs.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

ormommy said:


> 2. Seriously, how do you juggle all this. Maybe it's my balance issuesand cognitive impairment from health conditions, but I'm always tripping on the leash, dropping a treat, forgetting the correct term (I'm horrid at leave it vs. drop it), and so forth. Does it come with practice, or what?


You should see me practicing agility...I trip over my own feet all. the. time. I've even hit the ground a few times, haha.



ormommy said:


> I'm too fat to voluntarily go on camera and post it, but what do you record on anyways? I have a Verizon Android...it could probably do it.


I haven't posted a video yet, but I recorded our agility practice this morning (have to edit it before posting) on our tablet. Works great. And don't worry, no judgment. This is a dog forum...not a supermodel forum


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I am trying to teach collection. Watching this, I am not sure if he is truly collecting on take-off or if he is just turning hard on the landing side.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRWZEmQlNs


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I would say he's collecting. On the third rep (I think) he even puts in a couple trot steps before the jump.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Yea, I agree with the others that the coordination and timing comes with practice. The first time I used a clicker I was super off and clicking all over the place. Early, late, for no reason at all but a slip of the thumb... you get the idea. But with time and practice it all just sort of falls into place and becomes second nature.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

trainingjunkie said:


> I am trying to teach collection. Watching this, I am not sure if he is truly collecting on take-off or if he is just turning hard on the landing side.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRWZEmQlNs


I don't know if it's due to the angle of the video at all..... but I think he looks like he's collecting better when he wraps to the left vs his wraps to the right? Again...could be video angle but that's what I noticed right away. I see where it is hard to tell though if he's truly collecting on the take off vs a tight turn on the landing? A couple times I think he does but a couple times I'm just not sure. Does it look any different if you do this same setup but as a send vs you calling him over the jump?


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Okay, here's our weave video from last night. We went over to my friend's house and setup a little area at her townhouse complex. Zoey's only been over there once before. Super happy with this, she nailed some hard stuff! We are planning on setting up some stuff at a park together sometime Sunday.

Ignore me looking super gross, it was hot and I had already walked Luke and Skye each separately prior to this. Also turn down/off your volume, her young dog does a bit of barking in the background.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

kadylady said:


> I don't know if it's due to the angle of the video at all..... but I think he looks like he's collecting better when he wraps to the left vs his wraps to the right? Again...could be video angle but that's what I noticed right away. I see where it is hard to tell though if he's truly collecting on the take off vs a tight turn on the landing? A couple times I think he does but a couple times I'm just not sure. Does it look any different if you do this same setup but as a send vs you calling him over the jump?


No question, he does a better job on the left. That's why we did 5 wraps to the right and only 3 to the left. Trying to work weak side just a little more. I keep watching, but I am not sure that he is shortening his stride and tucking under himself on take-off. It looks like he is problem-solving on the landing side, but it's so hard to tell.

Right now, sending is not an option. We don't have a decent picture with me in perfect stationary position with the back gate yet, so no point in moving on. Eventually, I will have to remove the gate. Then we have to back up the dog. Then I need to add a second jump in front. Then, I will go back to one jump with a back gate and add motion...

So hard. I got this lovely dog, but the previous owner had played some agility with him. All in super-fast extension. He is all gas and no brakes. I was so lucky that she didn't do any obedience or rally with him at all. We nailed all of that work really fast because there was no history. But trying to go back and add control to speed is just a hot mess. I feel very, very stuck.

He played on channel weaves for 2 years. His teeter is truly dangerous. I doubt he ever worked a stopped contact without a target plate, so now, no plate=no stop. So much of the training was perfectly right, but it seems that she didn't balance any of it out or fade any of the props. It's really a weird combination of great pieces with terribly broken pieces. Trying to retro-fit control on a dog that loves speed is a real challenge. He's just a super dog though... 

With drivey dogs, I think the brakes should be installed first. Speed is so easy to add.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> I would say he's collecting. On the third rep (I think) he even puts in a couple trot steps before the jump.


I have watched a few times and I can't see the trotting. I see what I consider some stutter-stepping, which I *think* is an attempt to collect, but I am missing the trotting... I slowed the video down and watched it again. I think you're right. It looks like he is collecting.

Realistically, he can't fix his problem on the landing side if he left the ground in extension. Can't slow down in the air! I am over-thinking this. If he was in extension on take-off, he would have to hit that gate.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

trainingjunkie said:


> I have watched a few times and I can't see the trotting. I see what I consider some stutter-stepping, which I *think* is an attempt to collect, but I am missing the trotting... I slowed the video down and watched it again. I think you're right. It looks like he is collecting.
> 
> Realistically, he can't fix his problem on the landing side if he left the ground in extension. Can't slow down in the air! I am over-thinking this. If he was in extension on take-off, he would have to hit that gate.


Yeah, you're right. I watched it back on my computer instead of my phone and played with the speed, and I think he's just stuttering there.

Have you tried putting a pole or bump in front of the jump? Not right in front, something like 5ft out. I'm just thinking of what I would do for a horse and I would add something before the jump to encourage a shorter stride right before the jump. 

It's kind of hard to tell because in the video he's putting in only a couple strides before he needs to take off. The picture he gives in that one stride before the jump is not a particularly collected one when I slow the video down, but then I don't know what he looks like the rest of the time to compare.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

kadylady said:


> Okay, here's our weave video from last night. We went over to my friend's house and setup a little area at her townhouse complex. Zoey's only been over there once before. Super happy with this, she nailed some hard stuff! We are planning on setting up some stuff at a park together sometime Sunday.
> 
> Ignore me looking super gross, it was hot and I had already walked Luke and Skye each separately prior to this. Also turn down/off your volume, her young dog does a bit of barking in the background.


Lots of REALLY good work in there! I can see why you are happy! Her weaves are getting so dependable in a new place!

If you are looking for food for thought, a couple of things popped into my mind while watching:

First, I would get that harness off. It will never be part of the competition picture and it could hook and it certainly changes how her body feels. I would take it off.

Also, I would do fewer reps of weaves. I think you start to get failure because weaves are really hard on the body. I think that fatigue sets in and mistakes start to happen because of it. I didn't used to think of weaves as being very hard on the body, but my 8 year old has taught me this. If I pop him through more than a few times, his back and hips pay the price. Even though you have a young dog, the body has to tire. Weaving is so unnatural. I would pick a set number of reps, have a plan for proofing, and then stop. Plus, I really don't think that lots of low-arousal reps really duplicate a trial challenge as well as fewer "higher" arousal reps, if that makes any sense.

I am super-impressed with her ability to stay connected and keep working. What an incredible work ethic. You guys have such a sweet relationship and so much trust. It's wonderful!


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> Yeah, you're right. I watched it back on my computer instead of my phone and played with the speed, and I think he's just stuttering there.
> 
> Have you tried putting a pole or bump in front of the jump? Not right in front, something like 5ft out. I'm just thinking of what I would do for a horse and I would add something before the jump to encourage a shorter stride right before the jump.
> 
> It's kind of hard to tell because in the video he's putting in only a couple strides before he needs to take off. The picture he gives in that one stride before the jump is not a particularly collected one when I slow the video down, but then I don't know what he looks like the rest of the time to compare.


If you watch the first 30 seconds of this, you can see him in extension. It's a pretty different picture I think, but will be interested in your thoughts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l7J3rLaVN4

Or here he is just jumping on turns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QENOkWP0xGU


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

trainingjunkie said:


> If you watch the first 30 seconds of this, you can see him in extension. It's a pretty different picture I think, but will be interested in your thoughts.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l7J3rLaVN4
> 
> Or here he is just jumping on turns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QENOkWP0xGU


Then yes, compared to those videos I definitely see collection in your previous video. He's rocked back more on his hind end and his head is up higher as he approaches the jump towards the barrier.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

trainingjunkie said:


> Lots of REALLY good work in there! I can see why you are happy! Her weaves are getting so dependable in a new place!
> 
> If you are looking for food for thought, a couple of things popped into my mind while watching:
> 
> ...


Thank you!!

Yes, I never practice anything in her harness and I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to take it off last night! I didn't even think about it until I was home and watching the videos. 

While Zoey has been making huge progress with weaving in different places and under different stressors I have been failing miserably in one area....and that is in planning our reps. I plan our sessions well, as in location, time, distractions, rewards. But major fail to plan the actual reps, how many, what to do each time, ect. And I do end up doing too many or working the same thing multiple times while missing/forgeting something else. When I watched the videos last night I was like wow...I did way too many reps! So yes, I totally agree with that, makes perfect sense. I need to get my planning act together and focus on quality vs quantity. 

I was super impressed with her work ethic last night! She really was very excited to work and it's not that common for her to stay at that level of engagement for as long as she did. Which is maybe part of why I ended up with so many reps? Because she wanted to keep working so bad?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

kadylady said:


> She really was very excited to work and it's not that common for her to stay at that level of engagement for as long as she did. Which is maybe part of why I ended up with so many reps? Because she wanted to keep working so bad?


I fall into this trap all the time!


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> I fall into this trap all the time!


It's such as easy trap to fall into!!!

ETA: I used to use a timer with Skye because she never wanted to stop working. May have to start doing that with Zoey too.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> I fall into this trap all the time!


I do too! But it's the kiss of death for maintaining that commitment! Dries it all up if it goes unchecked. I was such a horrid offender that I started setting timers for all of my sessions. I keep a timer in my basement and in all of my training bags. I try to pre-determine reps, but failing that, my timer saves my fanny.

Videotaping helps too.

But sometimes, when it's all just clicking right, it feels so good to just keep basking in the success. Poor Gator. I don't know how many times I heeled him for half an hour just because I could... The whippets have cured me of that!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I have really hard to learn to back off on Kylie. She's a smart, eager, willing little dog, but I pushed too hard for a long time and it really was the kiss of death for all enthusiasm for her. I really, really have to limit how much I work anything with her. There are a lot of people who will say that if you're doing agility once or twice a week you're never going to get anywhere, but I can really not do agility with her daily and have her like agility. Once or twice a week is our sweet-spot, with occasional forays into maybe every other day. 

Otherwise I get a dog who trudges through things.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

The older Watson gets the more I realize that he just cannot handle pressure. If things are fun and on his terms, like training at home doing things he likes, then it's game on and I really can't wear him out. I am also lazy and don't have any desire to train for 40min every day, so we'll just say that in his happy place he can train as much as I ever want to train.

But as soon as you put some pressure on him, in any way, it can fall apart quickly. It involves a lot of careful pressure and then backing off again, pressure and backing off. He's not very handler sensitive, but he's very sensitive to pressure in general.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

We had a decent (fluke) run the other night when I first tried to incorporate weaves into a sequence. The middle pole on the first jump fell...but it always does. I accidentally cut it too short  even a light breeze takes that pole down, haha.

https://youtu.be/eIfQ7pucqxs


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

pawsaddict said:


> We had a decent (fluke) run the other night when I first tried to incorporate weaves into a sequence. The middle pole on the first jump fell...but it always does. I accidentally cut it too short  even a light breeze takes that pole down, haha.
> 
> https://youtu.be/eIfQ7pucqxs


Nice work!


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks! It was a one-time thing (we're having trouble weaving again), but it was nice to get a glimpse of what it can be, haha.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

We worked on a little agilities today in our remodeled agility area. We haven't done anything in a year, and even then it was in class and I don't know that he learned a ton. I'm working my way through basic handling using Fenzi courses. My goal is to get at least the first class solid, and probably the second (not sure if I'm signing up for the third) and then trying real life classes again. He clearly needs to understand what he's doing before going to classes, which is hard when I need the classes to know what I'm doing! 

This video is mostly work on the rear cross, maybe our third time trying it. I decided to just do it like the Fenzi trainer recommends, let him mess up, reward him, and let him figure it out on his own. After a couple reps he seemed to get it.

Engagement isn't super high here, but I think it's mostly the heat. He's excited to get started and then halfway through just looks at me like "Why are we doing this? It's way too hot". But hey, off leash outside, I'll take it! It's something to work with at least. As is typical for him, he's much more excited to do things he knows, like the straight on lateral movement jump exercise, and some little tricks.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I'm going to resurrect this thread.  I haven't videoed much these past couple of weeks. Lars and I took a 6 week breather from obedience once the shows dried up the rest of May and June. O and I have been working more outside of our backyard with run thrus, classes, and trials. But I'm getting back into the groove of training again at home with both guys. I also got an adapter for my tripod that fits the new iphone I have....so now uploading videos is way easier. 

Here's O and I working a small space course from Steve and Agility nerd. Ocean's starting to get the game of tricky handling.  O is more than fine with me getting in front of him (unlike someone we know LOL) I'm working on O actually taking the jump when I cue the wrap with my jaakko/ketschker cue. He will pull off the jump more often than not. So that's why I'm hanging there by the jump instead of taking off...to make sure he'll actually take the jump.  Go O! Love this little cool guy!






Here's the course (which was a lot of fun) from AgilityNerd:










(And I just realized I made 11 to 12 harder than it needed to be! ROFL)


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Very nice! Love his attitude!

I will also post! Here is my boy on his first-ever agility fun-match. 

He FELL APART! I was stunned! I thought we were going to do so much better than this! I am so glad that I drove 4 hours round trip to do a fun match. Saved me a ton of money. We.Are.Not.Ready. Oh well! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfRRWaN75fI


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

That run was not that bad!!! I love watching him coming through the poles! 

Ocean still has runs like that...I have a video of him at a match in May that looked similar to that. LOL I'm stealing a phrase that my trainer/friend uses when her 2 year old rat terrier has a run like that. "Her/His head busted open like a pinata and all of their candy fell out." ROFLMAO!!! Ocean still has pinata head runs...even though I'm seeing them less and less.  You'll totally see pinata head runs less and less too.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

I am SO stealing that quote!!! 

And I am also going to wait a couple of months before trialing!!! It's always a process, isn't it!


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Dog training as a never ending process is 1000% correct! You get one thing fixed...something else goes to hell. You get that fixed, then it's something else that needs fixing. The tweaking and fixing is never, ever done. Which works for me....I like working through problems and issues. If it's too good, I get bored. LOL

What about just trialing in Novice JWW to at least get him started in the trial environment??


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

They both look great! I too did not think he looked bad. Just an excited baby dog.  Which is what I love to see.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks guys! 

This was his first time out, so I expected some bobbles, but I would like a more polished picture before we actually trial. I felt like it took everything I had just to keep him from busting free! Not a feeling I enjoy!

Because I suspect that he isn't going to love stopping, I am not going to do JWW unless I am also doing standard. I don't want him to think that competition means never having to stop and that's sort of the drill in Jumpers. I want him to be okay with containing himself. He's just a super fun dog. We are closer to trialing than we look in this video. He just needs a few more matches. Whippets are such classic "zoomers" that I don't want to trip that switch!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Watching that video is like a glimpse into my own future. Only with pretty danged good weaves.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Here is my latest Hazel video from our Fenzi class. Here we're doing mat work, paw touches, and perch/pivot work. I couldn't find my rubber bowl so I grabbed and balance disc and she was up for the challenge. The whole session was about 5 min with some play breaks, but this is the 2min edited version. She is so much fun to work with! I don't remember Watson picking things up so quickly, but then he had to deal with my poor beginner training skills so it's hard to say. Most of the stuff here is only our second or third session and I think she's doing pretty well.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okYtO_eJ0s0

First time practicing heel at home!


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

I've been subscribing to everyone as I watch their videos - I plan to get some new ones up of Toby at some point, but here's his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhOQ5A6vSqwcYcwbwDq8TA


Also I love when your dogs get acting like dogs - I have this picture perfect frame of mind where all your dogs are SO PERFECT at everything and then there's Toby who goofs often (in a loveable kinda way). But seeing your dogs goof once in a while is like "sigh of relief* they have normal dogs too!" LOL


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Whoops, I realized my video didn't have sound. Fixed here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qau2BjQfps


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

ireth0 said:


> Whoops, I realized my video didn't have sound. Fixed here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qau2BjQfps


Looks great! You're off to a wonderful start!


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

Hmm..whistle recall fail. It seems like he only understands the whistle when I'm out of sight, so with the help of the regular verbal cue he leaves his frozen kong.

https://youtu.be/ZSM89kxuPiQ

and here I regularly test his ability to drop it (this dog is a resource guarder, but have not showed any signs for a long time now).

https://youtu.be/R1y3GAr5DIc


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

Also, we've been doing lots of find its.

https://youtu.be/LsiN5vF_Yts


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ireth0 said:


> Whoops, I realized my video didn't have sound. Fixed here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qau2BjQfps


Nice! She looks so happy!

Can I ask why you choose to start on the right side? Just curious


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

trainingjunkie said:


> Looks great! You're off to a wonderful start!





elrohwen said:


> Nice! She looks so happy!
> 
> Can I ask why you choose to start on the right side? Just curious


Thank you both!

I started on the right side just because it came more naturally to me to work from that side. (I'm sure that says something somewhere about my personality, lol)


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ireth0 said:


> I started on the right side just because it came more naturally to me to work from that side. (I'm sure that says something somewhere about my personality, lol)


I've considered teaching a right side heel, but we have much more work to do on the left and I don't want to confuse Watson when he's really starting to get it. I will try to work more on both sides with Hazel though, since I'd like to pursue agility more with her.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> I've considered teaching a right side heel, but we have much more work to do on the left and I don't want to confuse Watson when he's really starting to get it. I will try to work more on both sides with Hazel though, since I'd like to pursue agility more with her.


To be fair we're not using a cue word for it yet. I don't go 'heel!' and then she gets into position. I think I could probably set her up on the other side and have it work fairly well. 

Maybe I'll teach a left and right side cue separately from the heel cue.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Darn it....I worked Lars last night and totally forgot to tape it. 

I do actually teach heeling on the right side...it has a different command (Side) from my left heeling (Strut). I did that so I could balance Lars' neck carriage. Chiropractors hate the left side only head's up heeling...because it can jack up a dog's alignment over time. So, I try to heel with Lars on my right with his head up so that balances out the left head's up position.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

MrsBoats said:


> Darn it....I worked Lars last night and totally forgot to tape it.
> 
> I do actually teach heeling on the right side...it has a different command (Side) from my left heeling (Strut). I did that so I could balance Lars' neck carriage. Chiropractors hate the left side head's up heeling...because it can jack up a dog's alignment over time. So, I try to heel with Lars on my right with his head up so that balances out the left head's up position.


I confess, after seeing you use 'strut' in videos I've been trying to come up with more interesting terms to use but so far nothing comes out easily. I try to use verbal cues that come easily to me over the 'right' words. Like for stand I use 'up' because it just makes more sense to me and came out naturally.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

There's actually a method to my madness with using out of the ordinary words for commands....my husband won't use them.  His criteria for things like heel is vastly different than mine. He ruined "Heel" for me with my first dog. Heeling to my husband was just walking on the street with no attention and no real position tied to it. It was loose leash walking. I started to see my heeling with Sam really fall apart because there was a lot of gray area in what "heel" meant. So...I vowed that my commands would be something my husband wouldn't use in every day living. He heard me start to use "Strut" with Lars when he was a puppy...and he said "I'm going to say that!" And I thought....that's exactly why I'm using it. 

I've somewhat trained MrBoats since Sam and he will use my LLW command of "let's go." and "By me" if I need the dogs to stay next to me while on a walk. "Okay" will release them back in to "let's go"

I'm also creative because I do different sports with them....can't use the same command for different things in different rings. Things need to be black and white for them in obedience and in agility. If I say "around" for a finish right in obedience and then use "around" for a jump backside in agility, how's that fair to the dog?? If I use "Go" for my command in agility to mean keep running ahead of me and take whatever obstacle is in front of you....I can't use "Go" for Directed Jumping because that would mean Lars should take a jump as he's running away from me. A lot of people say "Out" for a dog to run laterally away from them and take obstacles....that's my "Drop It" command in obedience....so I say "Push" for that. There's a lot of consideration for what commands I choose to use.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I use really obvious cues, like "heel", mostly because I like to be obvious and uncreative. LOL 

I am considering changing some things about my recall cue with Hazel. I use "come" for Watson, typically to mean come and sit at front. But of course it gets used in daily life at times, and DH uses it sometimes, and the sit at front is never enforced in those situations. He understands the context of a formal obedience recall and sitting at front so it's not a big deal, but I'm thinking of just using "front" for Hazel eventually when I get around to training a straight front.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I have three different recall commands all which mean different things:

"Here" is just an informal recall like in the yard, calling them to me without a front. This is the one my husband uses.

"Come" is only used on the drop on recall so they know to expect another command to drop shortly.

"Front" is used for regular novice recalls, rally fronts, if I have to remind them to front on a retrieve or whatever needs them to find front, or after I drop them on the drop on recall.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Here are my recall cues:

"Come" is come to front, but can also be used at home to mean "get your a** downstairs and stop getting into trouble". 

"Here" was trained with the ecollar, so it's an emergency recall and something I currently only use when I can enforce with the collar (the hope is to not need the collar eventually though).

"This way" means that he's going the wrong way and needs to come in my direction and catch up with me.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

We were introduced to "flips" amd post turns at last week's class. Haven't practiced them as much as we should have, so they still need some work.

https://youtu.be/qx5NSR9FLaw

And Marls and I had some fun with tricks this morning too. We accidentally stepped out of the shot for the vast majority of the session, lol....but here's the first few seconds of what we did this morning (1. touch - I changed my signal from being an open palm to a fist because she was confusing it with "high ten"...still some confusion there, though. 2. Roll over. 3. "Bang").

https://youtu.be/nYt4UrxNIfo


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Your video with Nova looks exactly like our rear cross practices - he's just not getting it and puts in that quick turn on the backside of the jump. MrsBoats posted a helpful video on FB for me - maybe she'll link it here or I could go look for it. Still didn't totally fix our problem but I think he understood a little better what I wanted.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

elrohwen said:


> Your video with Nova looks exactly like our rear cross practices - he's just not getting it and puts in that quick turn on the backside of the jump. MrsBoats posted a helpful video on FB for me - maybe she'll link it here or I could go look for it. Still didn't totally fix our problem but I think he understood a little better what I wanted.


Hold on....I'll go grab it for you guys.  Editing: I have it in a closed group on FB and I deleted it off of my camera. Let me see if I can save it from FB on to my laptop.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

You know looking at this (the flip, I think, though we didn't call it that), I realized we initially taught this with SOME kind of obstacle in the direction we'd be asking the dog to go after the cross, to provide a visual cue - and throw the reward/item over/through it (We just used hoops, so no great stress).


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Here you ladies go....

(I have been doing rally obedience tutorials on youtube....so that's why I kept referencing that.  )


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

MrsBoats said:


> Here you ladies go....
> 
> (I have been doing rally obedience tutorials on youtube....so that's why I kept referencing that.  )


Thank you! Awesome video! And it totally makes sense. I think following those tips about the shoulders and even just running towards the jump will really help us.



CptJack said:


> You know looking at this (the flip, I think, though we didn't call it that), I realized we initially taught this with SOME kind of obstacle in the direction we'd be asking the dog to go after the cross, to provide a visual cue - and throw the reward/item over/through it (We just used hoops, so no great stress).


May I ask what you guys call it? Just curious because I was trying to youtube a tutorial on it for reference at home, but I couldn't find anything either...so I'm assuming "flip" isn't a common cue for it.

We were using "flip" in class last week to try and get tight turns around the jump, so that's what I was going for in that video (didn't exactly happen, though, haha). I like the idea of having her take another jump or something afterwards, though. It would be a great visual cue. Thank you!



elrohwen said:


> Your video with Nova looks exactly like our rear cross practices - he's just not getting it and puts in that quick turn on the backside of the jump. MrsBoats posted a helpful video on FB for me - maybe she'll link it here or I could go look for it. Still didn't totally fix our problem but I think he understood a little better what I wanted.


Totally. She doesn't get it, and from MrsBoats video, I totally get why... I doubt she really sees my hand movement after she has taken the jump (so she just hears the verbal cue..and by then it's a little late, I'm sure). I need to present more visual cues with my body about where she needs to go before she takes the jump. Thanks for noticing! 


Thanks everyone. I love the advice!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

That's our 'switch' in that the dog changes lead legs and sides with you (ie: go from your left to your right) - turning away from you while you cross behind. I think, and I think based largely on what I'm seeing you do in that video, rather than the description because we don't usually use it for tight wraps. It's a cross, and most often used to get the dog to turn away from you and take an obstacle at an angle and at the point of a cross. I HAVE seen it used for 180s and wraps, but not often. Kadylady called it something else. I don't remember what, though, dang it. Let me see if I can dig it out of the agility thread. She posted a link.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Heh. That was easier than I expected. 

http://www.oneminddogs.com/article/tandem-turn-agility-handling-technique/?lang=en

Tandem turn.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

CptJack said:


> Heh. That was easier than I expected.
> 
> http://www.oneminddogs.com/article/tandem-turn-agility-handling-technique/?lang=en
> 
> Tandem turn.





CptJack said:


> That's our 'switch' in that the dog changes lead legs and sides with you (ie: go from your left to your right) - turning away from you while you cross behind. I think, and I think based largely on what I'm seeing you do in that video, rather than the description because we don't usually use it for tight wraps. It's a cross, and most often used to get the dog to turn away from you and take an obstacle at an angle and at the point of a cross. I HAVE seen it used for 180s and wraps, but not often. Kadylady called it something else. I don't remember what, though, dang it. Let me see if I can dig it out of the agility thread. She posted a link.


Thank you! Thank link helps me to see the bigger picture, so to speak, of where I hope we are going with it. And I am able to find youtube videos for it now too!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Yeah, that's the thing I struggled with forever. Practicing it on the flat or near flat I spent a lot of time going "??? WHAT IS THIS?" Because I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do. Once I started seeing it in courses, mostly used by other people, I realized where I was going and got a lot less clutzy and awkward. Amazingly enough once I figured out what I was doing, the dogs picked it up faster


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Tandem turns! Yay!  

Zoey and I have no problem with rear crosses and obstacles. But rears on the flat have been a little bit of a struggle for us. I was really proud of one that we did this past weekend, totally wasn't sure if we would get it or not but we pretty much nailed it.

Skip to 2:40, it's in our Open JWW run in the back corner of the ring, right before we take the purple tunnel, in between the blue and red winged jumps. Looks pretty simple but that's a really hard move for us and something we've been working towards a lot. Really proud of that.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

My brain just never seems to know what my body should be doing, haha. I hope that beginning to see the end results of some of these handling manoeuvres helps decrease my awkwardness.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

pawsaddict said:


> My brain just never seems to know what my body should be doing, haha. I hope that beginning to see the end results of some of these handling manoeuvres helps decrease my awkwardness.


I find it really super helpful to watch other people run. I always watch the higher level classes when I can and I personally learn so much from watching them, even if it's seeing what works vs what doesn't work. I like seeing how different types of people handle different types of dogs and then whether or not how they chose to handle was successful.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

kadylady said:


> Tandem turns! Yay!
> 
> Zoey and I have no problem with rear crosses and obstacles. But rears on the flat have been a little bit of a struggle for us. I was really proud of one that we did this past weekend, totally wasn't sure if we would get it or not but we pretty much nailed it.
> 
> Skip to 2:40, it's in our Open JWW run in the back corner of the ring, right before we take the purple tunnel, in between the blue and red winged jumps. Looks pretty simple but that's a really hard move for us and something we've been working towards a lot. Really proud of that.


You guys look AWESOME out there!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

For me, losing the awkwardness is down to two things:

A-) Knowing what it looks like/should look like/how it's used on an actual course. Watching other people run is huge. Sometimes, I have just outright copied other people without knowing why, until I'd done it and could say 'oh'. 

B-) Muscle memory. 

At some point, honestly, your brain really does cut out of the equation. I've been getting there more lately, and doing less tripping and flailing and basically not feeling like a fish out of water as much. However, if you asked me to slow down and demonstrate a, I don't know, regular old front cross, I'd have to stand there and stare blankly for a minute. Tell me to front cross after the a-frame, gold. Tell me to do it slowly and make me THINK? 9 BILLION times harder and more awkward.

**ETA::* Unsurprisingly, the less of my brain I have to dedicate to remembering how to do a cross, the more often I remember the course! LOL.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

kadylady said:


> I find it really super helpful to watch other people run. I always watch the higher level classes when I can and I personally learn so much from watching them, even if it's seeing what works vs what doesn't work. I like seeing how different types of people handle different types of dogs and then whether or not how they chose to handle was successful.


I have to agree with this. I learned more from watching a ton of agility while at trials...it really makes you see when, how, and why something works and doesn't work. Then you get to a point where you can see and identify why something didn't work....cued a turn too soon or too late, dog following body language instead of a verbal cue. You'll see something go wrong and the person totally thinks their dog screwed up but you can totally see that "told" their dog what to do and the dog did exactly that. I think that's when you have a good grasp of handling when you can tell when something is your mistake or the dog's mistake.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

MrsBoats said:


> I have to agree with this. I learned more from watching a ton of agility while at trials...it really makes you see when, how, and why something works and doesn't work. Then you get to a point where you can see and identify why something didn't work....cued a turn too soon or too late, dog following body language instead of a verbal cue. You'll see something go wrong and the person totally thinks their dog screwed up but you can totally see that "told" their dog what to do and the dog did exactly that. I think that's when you have a good grasp of handling when you can tell when something is your mistake or the dog's mistake.


Yep, also agreed. Though for me watching others didn't really, entirely, clue me into the whys of things working or not. It just let me copy them and then understand them and then be able to do them in a way that worked for my dog. Step by step instructions don't work for me. Slow demos don't work for me. SEE IT and then go try it do. Learning styles vary. Have also been HUGELY helped in recent private lessons by having a course set, walking it and making handling decisions, explaining WHY I made those decisions, running it and trying it - and then having other handling options presented to try and trying them. There's a lot of strategy game in there, that's a lot of fun.

That said, for pure old 'learn how to do it' 'COpy someone who knows what they're doing, even if I don't entirely get it' has served me well.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

CptJack said:


> Have also been HUGELY helped in recent private lessons by having a course set, walking it and making handling decisions, explaining WHY I made those decisions, running it and trying it - and then having other handling options presented to try and trying them. There's a lot of strategy game in there, that's a lot of fun.


I love doing this^ as well. The hardest part for me about walking/running a course is not remembering the course or remembering what I'm going to do, it's initially figuring out what I'm going to do and remember to look at all the tools in my tool box, not just 1 or 2. A year ago my default behavior was to run a course full of rear crosses. Because we were good at those! My instructor essential said just because you are good at those doesn't mean that's the only thing you can do and challenged me to start using other options. I've gotten so much better at being able to go out on a course and walk option A, option B and option C and so on, but sometimes I will stop for a minute, watch other handlers and go oh yeah...I could totally do that there, why didn't I think of that! But I love in class or lessons when she sets a course, has me run it my way and then gives me her ideas and we try those. 



pawsaddict said:


> You guys look AWESOME out there!


Thank you!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Oh, hi, you're me. 

Yeah, I tend to want to rear or blind cross everything with Kylie, I often forget front-crosses are things that exist, and I ALWAYS default to wanting to cross at the first opportunity I see, rather than seeing the options for crosses that may be more effective and come an obstacle or two later. 

I *think* I'm getting better about it, but yeah. It's a thing I'm having to consciously learn how to do. It really IS fun, though. Definitely a game of its own.


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## pawsaddict (Apr 17, 2013)

I LOVE watching other people run...but I do it through my computer screen 99% of the time. I'm hoping to actually get out there and go to more trails this summer, though.

I haven't quite figured out what my agility learning style is. I do know that I need some time to process everything away from class right now. And a walk-through is super helpful. Hopefully muscle memory will start to kick in soon 

I think one of my issues is that Nova is so different from every other dog in the class. She RUNS. Full tilt. No holding back. The other dogs in the class don't do that yet. In class, the drills are very structured. Do x,y,z here, here, and here. No room for interpretation. I get why it's done that way. I really do. But I'm really starting to notice that, for Nova, it doesn't all work.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Hazel has been doing most of the training, but Watson and I aren't completely slacking off. We've been doing a little engagement work in our fenced in obedience/agility area. Last summer he was very focused out here, but we just set it up again a couple months ago and haven't used it much, so he's much more distracted. This video is a little long and boring, but it shows a whole session for the good and bad. I'm open to suggestions, but my method right now is to wait for offered attention, then reward (using food play and movement, instead of just handing him food). If he leaves, fine, I just go sit down. I'm not going to ask him for focus or work, I'm not going to beg, and I'm not going to be exciting until he he pushed me to be exciting. He's not a puppy, he should be able to hold up his responsibility.

Today he was pretty high when we got to the field, and I didn't give him any time to acclimate beyond what you see in the video, so all things considered I don't think it's too bad. I think we need to do something like this in an agility/obedience environment.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

We have 12 poles now! Sorry for the spam. So freaking proud of this dog.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

We did weaves tonight too!


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

AH HA!! I finally remembered to video Ocean and I working. Today's focus was a-frame contacts. We are showing again this weekend in AKC agility this time and last weekend, his a-frame contact started to turn into something I wasn't that thrilled with. So, I placed a tug at the base of the a-frame and he isn't allowed to grab it unless he gives me a two on two off. I was rewarding his teeter contact with food. I went to mostly flatwork with hoops and jump uprights with no bars because the past two weekends, he's done Friday - Sunday agility trials. I wanted to give him a break from jumping three days in a row. Then I worked some start line stuff. 

This is like 9 minutes long....but you can see us train from start to finish with this session.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Thought I would revive this thread with a random training session from yesterday!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks for resurrecting the thread! I love how fast Luna's tail is going  She's having so much fun.

This one is from a couple weeks ago, but I'll post it here for fun! For some reason Hazel forgot how to work for toys as a reinforcement and this is the session where we worked through that. It's fun to watch at 1min where she's like "Oh! Right! Toys can be a reward too!" Not sure if it was a weird age related thing, or because we didn't play much while she was lame in November. She's mostly back to tugging in all situations which is great.


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