Jump Focus, Continuing Chute, First Frame

  This past Monday night, Tarot and I got a lot of training in, more than I expected.  I wanted to focus on jumping instead of continuing to put emphasis on the foundation training for the other equipment.  At this point, to perform something more than three or four times becomes ineffective for learning and we need to practice with clearing bars.

  Jumping

  Diane helped with evaluating our Jump chute performance on Sunday and helped with keeping Tarot’s focus on last Jump instead of on me.  Since we do a lot of Obedience, Tarot is left side dependent and constantly looks back for direction.  This is a common problem that will be smoothed out as the dog learns to move its body and look elsewhere for fun things to do.  Waiting for the other dogs to run their turns, Alexa suggested I try Susan Salo’s jumping technique and a quick Youtube search later revealed a different approach I figured to try during my Monday night training.

  The following night, I started out with a Pin Wheel which will help work out the “left side” dependence Tarot has.  I was also pleased to see her move with confidence and being mindful of stride movement.  We moved on to some of the other equipment and returned to Jump practice.  Two Jumps were set at six feet apart; one bar set at 8” and the other at 16”.  The idea is to use the lower set Jump to create stride and the second Jump is the focus for height.  In a few passes, Tarot was able to easily clear 20”.  Adding this to the practice session should be a big help introducing 24”, wraps, handling, and the Oxer Jumps.

  Video is about a minute if you are interested in watching some Jump practice.

  Chute Sequence

  Also included is video showing Tarot performing the “first Chute of the session”.  We have not practiced in two weeks and the last time she saw this was the first time she went through at full length.  I wanted to see what she did remember and how she would handle it.  I was pleased to see her push through even if it seemed slow.  As I added the Chute to other sequences, Tarot was gaining confidence, moving faster, and having fun.

  Video is about 12 seconds for Chute sequence

  Frame

  Finally, the coolest accomplishment of the night was the Frame.  Normally we would lower the Frame to an apex of three or four feet, but I do not have help. Having worked foundations and the DogWalk, I wanted to see if Tarot was willing to try the Frame at full height.  I was very surprised to see her haul up and down like she has always done this.

  Video is about 25 seconds for Frame

  Enjoy!

  Joyce

Nosework – Unpaired Birch Hides in 3 Groups of 2

I set three different groups of two Birch hides; the first two groups were set out at the same time and the third set after the others were found.  In the past, Tarot has focused on the furthest hide and works her way back to where she started, which is not good if we have to work a large area.  The two searches were far enough apart and there was a good breeze, so I thought this would be interesting.

First Area

  Two hides were placed upwind from where we started to be fair to a dog that had been sitting in a crate waiting and need to mentally shift gears to work mode.  A metal container was placed on the table mid-area and the other was in a drinking straw next to a large brick.  With a strong wind, I suspected this would not create an issue with converging odor, but I could only guess what scent was doing.

  I am not sure which location Tarot caught first, but she choose to cut through the search area and work the grass line to her first find.  Afterwards she had to circle around to pinpoint where the other one was.  At about 55 seconds, at first when Tarot stopped under the table, I thought she was problem solving.  I realized she was *crittering and stepped away with her following to return to work.  Later at 1.30, she stopped again to re-investigate ground litter.  My initial thought was crittering, but almost immediately she slowly tracked back to the table and followed the edges straight to source.  Although Tarot did not stick her nose on the hide, she knew it was there and I decided to encourage her to jump up for her reward.

   Never sure when something really is useful in this sport.

Second Area

  I realized this covered area was similar in layout to the one we just worked, but it was isolated by bordering overgrowth.  When we approached, it was from upwind and Tarot put herself on the opposite side where she picked up scent.  After finding the first plastic tube Hide, the overgrowth appeared to capture odor and it was patience as she figured out where the metal canister was.

I love the nose bonk and look on Tarot’s face when she finally found it as it shows they really are searching with their noses.

Third Area

 I was mean because could not pass up the opportunity to set a Hide on the Porta Potty.  The building we train in is heavy with chlorine from the swimming pool and disinfectants from the kennels which sometimes cause a distraction.  I figured this Porta Potty was not used much and would offer another chemical scent to work through.

One Hide was placed upwind on the ground and covered with small rocks and the other downwind on the door hinge of the Porta Potty.  Tarot chose to go left and surprised me by coming back along the overgrowth to suddenly make a sharp right to the first hide.  From there, it was moving downwind far enough to refocus and pick up scent.  I was not sure if Tarot was using the high grass to track to source or if it was crittering again, so she went deeper than I liked until it was confirmed.  From that point it was about me keeping moving to let her catch scent again and work it back to source.

Video is just over four minutes of searching for six hides.

Enjoy!

Joyce

**Crittering = Dog is not following designated scent/odor, but something of its own interest.

Chute Training - A New Method?

From the beginning and still used today, the method for training the Chute has changed very little.  Like training the Tunnel, there is a need for two or three people, someone to hold the dog at the entrance and someone to hold the Chute tarp open, while the Handler calls the dog through.  The person holding the tarp has the job of lowering it so the dogs get used to having the feel on their heads and back as they run through.  Eventually they learn the overall obstacle is not scary and it normally becomes one of their favorites in no time.

Most of my dogs were trained in this method, but it was while I was training Torch that Bill Rawa introduced this new technique.  I cannot remember if he got this from someone else or if he came up with it, but for now he gets the credit.  This was absolutely brilliant and thank you, Bill!

1. Start by sending the dog through an untarped barrel to get them used to the plastic and sound.
2. Add tarp and roll it up on the barrel to add tarp noise
3. Drape tarp down a few inches and continue to lower it so it becomes a curtain over the barrel The dogs learn to push under the tarp and desensitize to having the cloth weight.
4. Add length of trap to push through to continue to train tarp weight and touch until finally reaching full competition length (10ft).

For the video, I started with the tarp already on the barrel, fully open.  Tarot has already had two previous weeks of steps one and two where the tarp was lowered to create the curtain and about a foot of droop.  I wanted to show all of the steps at once because I honestly think this is the best way to train this obstacle.  The dogs gain confidence fairly quickly, tarp length can immediately be adjusted, and the handler can train by herself.  Better still, if a dog develops problems later on, we can fall back to using this to retrain.

As is always the normal, we work an obstacle a few times and move on to something else.  Then we can come back and see what else can be accomplished.  Even a short break to jump or climb can add to the learning process and a dog like Tarot will keep pushing it a bit further.
My original intention was not to get to a finished performance in this session, but Tarot showed no signs of wanting to stop.  I am thrilled we were able to show you how well this method works since Tarot has only done about three feet of tarp length and she went straight through to ten feet.

Important to note here is that since a dog has performed a behavior like a full tarp on the Chute, this does not mean it is ingrained and trained.  What is shows is that Tarot is ok with what is being asked of her, not that she is ready for competition.  It is now important to keep her motivated while she continues to learn this obstacle because Tarps twist, get pulled sideways, and can be scary.  My job is to keep offering experience by adding in handling elements like crossing behind or getting ahead.

Again, thank you Bill Rawa at Tail Blazers Agility Club!

Video is almost three minutes if you feel like watching Chute training from start to finish.
Enjoy!
Joyce

Weavepole Saga featuring Tarot and Niven

I had mentioned before about there being different types of movement a dog can have to propel itself through the Weavepoles.  No one way is incorrect, but the difference is speed and efficiency.  My goal is to keep Tarot on track with the movement she is learning by using the Channel Weaves.  Although Niven’s foundation is with the Channel Poles, closing them too early and having AKC change to 24” spacing between poles caused her adjust.  I did think about re-training, but at her age and level, I have decided to let it be what it has become.

  The movement method will depend on many factors:
- Length and height of dog
- Bone and weight of dog
- Speed of dog
- Spacing between poles (18”, 20”, 22”, & 24” with 24” being AKC standard)
- Foundation training  (method)
- Something drastic changed

“Two Legs to a Side” will have the dog moving the front legs separate from the rear legs, appearing to bounce around each pole. (Niven)

“Split Legs” will have the dog run a straight line, keeping the right legs on one side and left legs on the other making the dog appear to dive around each pole.  (Tarot)

Video is about 30 seconds
Enjoy!
Joyce

Finding the Pen on the Table - Birch Hide

We started our morning by meeting up with fellow Monday night classmates at our instructor’s place and gained experience by working in a new location.  All three dogs did a great job in their two hour round of searches and we have to thank Alexa once again for her generosity.

While driving home I decided to head straight to our local park to take the dogs for a walk or run.  Poor Desi got to go for a ride, but ended up staying in the car, and I thought this would make it fun for her.  We did the short walk thing and I decided to put out four Birch Hides, carry the Action Cam & run video, and call it a day.  (Side note I really need to get her started in this NoseWork thing.)


Each dog has its strong points and trouble issues and today I felt the second popped up more.  Where one dog struggled, the other nailed the hide and moved on, only to shell game through all four.  One hide in particular was interesting to me.  A pen loaded with Birch scented QTips was put on top of a picnic table and how each of the dogs came to the conclusion it was there had me shaking my head.
There are a few laugh points and if I did not know where the Hide was, I would have called an “alert” for Torch at 1 minute…you will see it.

Interesting to watch if you have six minutes to watch dogs sniff picnic tables.
Enjoy!
Joyce

Short Agility Sequence with Tarot

We have come a long way from the original methods of grabbing the dog by the collar and hauling them over each obstacle as a beginning to its Agility career.  Incremental training of starting small and working to full behavior provides the dog a much stronger performance.  While taking those small steps, the working relationship between human and dog develops, sometimes unnoticed until a sequence or routine is put together.
  At the end of January I started Tarot with beginning exercises and had to break for a few weeks.  Despite this short amount of time, I was surprised to see how much she has learned.  I put together a very basic sequence to see what she understands and was not disappointed with the results.  What I was not expecting was how Tarot searched for the obstacles and thought about each one.  There were instances where we goofed up, but I welcome the intelligence that went into the mistake.  I have not had a dog do that since Crumpet.

  The first run was not recorded (of course!), but I had to step back in realization of how far we have come in a very short amount of time.  With obstacles modified and the course basic, Tarot dove forward, moved with confidence, and had a perfect run.  More than once I had to remind myself this was not an experienced dog and to not ditch out on the supportive handling.  My brain gears are now moving because I can adjust exercises to see what else she can do.
  When I did pull out the camera, it was placed a corner to let run.  Not the greatest location for seeing stuff, but it works.  By this point, Tarot and I had been working for half an hour and we were both getting tired.  Runs were not perfect, but even then the dog learns to try different ways of moving or make ill choices that have to be weeded out.  This is the learning process for any living being; we all do what works and discard what does not get reinforced.

Obstacle specifics
- Tunnels: Darker Tunnels are hard for the dog to see in and we normally start with them
- 16” Jumps: New height Tarot is learning
- Weaves:  Channel Poles open less than a foot
- Chute:  Barrel with tarp covering the opening with a few inches of drag (off camera)
- In the background – two tables 24” high with a board stretched across to mimic the Dog Walk.

With the camera angle not allowing detail, I wanted to keep this one short at just over two minutes.
Enjoy!
Joyce

Weavepoles - Starting Out With A New Dog

Armed with the Action Cam and Camcorder & tripod, Tarot and I set out to work the Weavepoles last night.
When I started training in Agility in 1996, the main method for training this obstacle was to keep the dog on lead, hold it straight up, and guide the dog through the lines of poles. This may or may not be complimented with "wire guides" that created a weave chute.  As you can imagine it was not very effective and can take even longer to perfect, which was why this obstacle was not included in the AKC Novice courses.
When we changed clubs, each person in class brought different ideas and from there we tried the "Weaveomatic", Guide Wire/Lead, Buddy helper, and Channel methods.  To this day, I honestly think we indirectly trained solid poles by experimenting, but now the standard is the Channel Pole method.

Channel Poles are specially designed so every other poles pulls away from the base's center-line.  For inexperienced dogs, you want that open wide so they get use to the metal clicking under their paws and learn to stay inside.  As the dog becomes more comfortable, the poles are slowly pushed inward.
The reason I like this better than other methods is that the dogs learn to separate their legs and begin to have weaving motion, even when the poles are wide open.  The video I took last night shows Tarot starting to do just that, especially during the last attempts.
I really look forward to seeing how this works for her.  Niven was originally trained this way, but changed stride when the poles were closed to early in training and AKC went to 24" spacing.

In a class environment there would be two of us working this stage.  One person would hold the dog and the handler would go to the other end to call the dog through.  While it is great to have Tarot sit at one end, she has to learn how to run that center-line with me along side, not baiting her at the end.  For this, we use targeting and my offhand purchase a few years ago of a Target Ball has been that second person for me.

  Video is less than a minute.  For my own video reference, I started with the extreme wide poles and brought them in with each pass.  Tarot was having fun and seemed to have no problem transferring from me to the Target Ball.

Next week we will start with eight inch width and see where it goes from there.
Enjoy!
Joyce