This class was much better than our first one! I stuck to my usual training style (rewarding for both the good and bad, jackpot for the good), so I felt a lot better about myself. The first exercise we did was a lateral lead-out over 2 jumps set at a 90 degree angle, and then going on to the teeter and table. It was a bit too lateral for Wall-e the first time, so I reduced the distance for the second time and he got it. He ZOOMED over to the teeter.
Next was a bit of a simpler exercise, a jump to a 30 degree on-side weave entry (12 poles). Wall-e got that right away after all of our work on weave entries last week, good boy!
The final exercise involved a straight line of the table to the dog walk to a tire, and then a turn to the A-frame and a straight tunnel. His DW was really nice! He ran all the way across, not hesitating on the down plank, and touched his nose to the clear target as soon as he stopped in 2on2off. The first time we tried the AF, he collected for his 2o2o, but not enough to actually stop. He did get it the next time, though.
When all of the individual exercises were done, we ran a full course that involved all of the exercises, like the first class. (I like how the instructor does this.) Wall-e was so good!! He ran it clean; his first time running a Standard course clean. His DW was beautiful. His AF could have been faster, but it wasn't really slow, and he stopped. I even got a chance to use our cik and cap cues (Silvia Trkman's method of teaching wraps over a jump). It was really fun!
Showing posts with label 2o2o. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2o2o. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Fun Match July 31, '10
Mika ran Masters Jumpers and Wall-e ran Starters Standard.
The Standard runs were first. Wall-e got to practice his new 2on2off contacts (both the dog walk and 5 foot A-frame) in a trial environment. He did really well! I put his targets out for the first run and left them out for the second. His first run was cute. On both the AF and DW, he stopped in 2o2o. I rewarded him, and then after he ate his food he broke his 2o2o, turned around, and hopped back into 2o2o. Haha!
The Masters Jumpers course was a lot like a Snooker (which is actually good because Mika and I will be running in Snooker for the first time this fall). Mika was slow, though. I don't know why she's been so slow this year. And she reacted at a dog (black lab, no surprise!) in our second run. Oh well. The good part was that we had no off-courses, just some missed jumps. She was still a good dog, even if she was stressed by the black lab :)
The Standard runs were first. Wall-e got to practice his new 2on2off contacts (both the dog walk and 5 foot A-frame) in a trial environment. He did really well! I put his targets out for the first run and left them out for the second. His first run was cute. On both the AF and DW, he stopped in 2o2o. I rewarded him, and then after he ate his food he broke his 2o2o, turned around, and hopped back into 2o2o. Haha!
The Masters Jumpers course was a lot like a Snooker (which is actually good because Mika and I will be running in Snooker for the first time this fall). Mika was slow, though. I don't know why she's been so slow this year. And she reacted at a dog (black lab, no surprise!) in our second run. Oh well. The good part was that we had no off-courses, just some missed jumps. She was still a good dog, even if she was stressed by the black lab :)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Finished back-chaining!
As of today, we're all done back-chaining the dog walk! We still have to increase the distance/speed that Wall-e is approaching the DW at, and fade the target, but blah blah blah....It feels good that we're done back-chaining and that Wall-e knows how to control his body to stop at high speed!
When we went to the field yesterday we saw that somebody had set up a Starters Jumpers-type course and left the numbered cones! Wall-e and I ran it clean, and very quickly, yesterday (it was a rush!), and today we ran it in reverse. We had a bit of trouble with missed jumps, a refusal at the tunnel, and off-courses, probably because I set the jumps at 6" today, while yesterday they were at 10". I have to remember that Wall-e is still green; I have to run fast and cue extension, while not getting too far ahead of him.
After that, tunnel sends. No refusals in any of the 4 reps.
When we went to the field yesterday we saw that somebody had set up a Starters Jumpers-type course and left the numbered cones! Wall-e and I ran it clean, and very quickly, yesterday (it was a rush!), and today we ran it in reverse. We had a bit of trouble with missed jumps, a refusal at the tunnel, and off-courses, probably because I set the jumps at 6" today, while yesterday they were at 10". I have to remember that Wall-e is still green; I have to run fast and cue extension, while not getting too far ahead of him.
After that, tunnel sends. No refusals in any of the 4 reps.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Yet another day of training
Back-chained on the dog walk from the top of the up plank. There was one rep where he stopped in a handstand and literally stayed there for half a second, hahah. His other stops were beautiful, though. Just a couple more sessions, and he'll be running over the whole competition-height DW and stopping in 2o2o!
We've developed a routine in our training lately: first we train the DW, then we run a sequence, then we finish off with something easier. So, predictably, after training on the DW, we ran a sequence. This one had a 45 degree on-side weave entry at the beginning and then some fast lines of jumps and tunnels. Wall-e didn't even see the weaves at first because I'd set him up in the direction of a jump, which he raced over to and tightly wrapped. I set him up properly the second time and he hit his entry perfectly...then saw the DW and snagged it! I let him run over it because we were going in that direction anyway...when he got to the down plank he jumped off and zoomed towards me. Apparently, he'll need some more work to have his target faded! :) He did an AWESOME finish of the sequence -- he put one huge stride in between two jumps where I would have expected him to put two; and he sent into the tunnel with me catching up behind, not even glancing at me as he happily took the obstacle.
When I set him up to try the beginning of the sequence again, he spotted a car driving by and chased it halfway across the field, then turned on a dime and zoomed back to me without me even saying a word!! Next he spotted a TRUCK. (If you ask Wall-e his opinion of which vehicles are the most fun to chase, he'll say the bigger the better.) He took off for it, but again came back to me right away. It's as if he's thinking, "Whoopsies, I'm not in the backyard, I'm at the field...s'posed to be training right now!" GOOD boy!! Anyway, when we actually got around to trying the beginning of that sequence around, he saw the DW, but came right to me when I called him. He's way too good.
Finally, we practiced Susan Salo's set-point grid. I did this a lot with Wall-e in his jumping foundation, but he haven't trained it in quite some time. The grid has 2 jumps; the first is 6" and the second is 10", his current competition height. Wall-e jumps the 6" jump and then takes off for the 10" jump as soon as he lands from the first jump (a.k.a., a bounce stride). He jumped with so much power! He did launch himself once, but usually jumped very nicely.
We've developed a routine in our training lately: first we train the DW, then we run a sequence, then we finish off with something easier. So, predictably, after training on the DW, we ran a sequence. This one had a 45 degree on-side weave entry at the beginning and then some fast lines of jumps and tunnels. Wall-e didn't even see the weaves at first because I'd set him up in the direction of a jump, which he raced over to and tightly wrapped. I set him up properly the second time and he hit his entry perfectly...then saw the DW and snagged it! I let him run over it because we were going in that direction anyway...when he got to the down plank he jumped off and zoomed towards me. Apparently, he'll need some more work to have his target faded! :) He did an AWESOME finish of the sequence -- he put one huge stride in between two jumps where I would have expected him to put two; and he sent into the tunnel with me catching up behind, not even glancing at me as he happily took the obstacle.
When I set him up to try the beginning of the sequence again, he spotted a car driving by and chased it halfway across the field, then turned on a dime and zoomed back to me without me even saying a word!! Next he spotted a TRUCK. (If you ask Wall-e his opinion of which vehicles are the most fun to chase, he'll say the bigger the better.) He took off for it, but again came back to me right away. It's as if he's thinking, "Whoopsies, I'm not in the backyard, I'm at the field...s'posed to be training right now!" GOOD boy!! Anyway, when we actually got around to trying the beginning of that sequence around, he saw the DW, but came right to me when I called him. He's way too good.
Finally, we practiced Susan Salo's set-point grid. I did this a lot with Wall-e in his jumping foundation, but he haven't trained it in quite some time. The grid has 2 jumps; the first is 6" and the second is 10", his current competition height. Wall-e jumps the 6" jump and then takes off for the 10" jump as soon as he lands from the first jump (a.k.a., a bounce stride). He jumped with so much power! He did launch himself once, but usually jumped very nicely.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Great training session!
I've probably been writing too much about training the past few day...but I think it really helps to keep a record of sessions :)
Wall-e and I back-chained from the horizontal plank of the dog walk today. I moved the target closer to the contact because yesterday he was stopping in 4onthefloor sometimes (the target was a bit too far away). I love his 2on2off performance! He stops just at the right spot, eats his food, then shifts his weight to his rear as he looks at me for his next instruction. If I asked, he would also give a nose-touch to the target. I'm using a big yellow target for visibility, but when I eventually start fading it, I'll use a clear target.
After 4 reps of DW back-chaining, I set him up to run a sequence. At first, instead of taking the first obstacle staring him in the face, a set of 6 weaves, he turned away from me to run up the DW! All this DW back-chaining has gotten him LOVING that obstacle! We tried again and this time he did the weaves wonderfully. There was a set of 6 weaves and then a set of 8 weaves, about six feet in front of the first set, requiring the dog to collect quickly to enter the second set. Wall-e got it, WOW!! The rest of the sequence went great too, he was running really well!
Wall-e and I back-chained from the horizontal plank of the dog walk today. I moved the target closer to the contact because yesterday he was stopping in 4onthefloor sometimes (the target was a bit too far away). I love his 2on2off performance! He stops just at the right spot, eats his food, then shifts his weight to his rear as he looks at me for his next instruction. If I asked, he would also give a nose-touch to the target. I'm using a big yellow target for visibility, but when I eventually start fading it, I'll use a clear target.
After 4 reps of DW back-chaining, I set him up to run a sequence. At first, instead of taking the first obstacle staring him in the face, a set of 6 weaves, he turned away from me to run up the DW! All this DW back-chaining has gotten him LOVING that obstacle! We tried again and this time he did the weaves wonderfully. There was a set of 6 weaves and then a set of 8 weaves, about six feet in front of the first set, requiring the dog to collect quickly to enter the second set. Wall-e got it, WOW!! The rest of the sequence went great too, he was running really well!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Dog walk/agility update
Yay Wall-e! Today we back-chained from the part of the dog walk where the horizontal plank connects with the down plank. He had better speed than yesterday!
After that, we ran a flowing sequence and then trained more tunnel sends, and also a bit of jump wrapping. Like the DW, he had better speed today than yesterday.
Mika's shoulder seems to be much better; yesterday, while dinner was being made and she was waiting around for food to drop, she lifted up her front right paw a couple times, like a pointer. (She often does that when she's eagerly waiting for something.) That meant that she was voluntarily putting weight on her left shoulder...a good sign! Today at the field I let her chase her food tube around. She had fun; I could tell because of all the barking!!
After that, we ran a flowing sequence and then trained more tunnel sends, and also a bit of jump wrapping. Like the DW, he had better speed today than yesterday.
Mika's shoulder seems to be much better; yesterday, while dinner was being made and she was waiting around for food to drop, she lifted up her front right paw a couple times, like a pointer. (She often does that when she's eagerly waiting for something.) That meant that she was voluntarily putting weight on her left shoulder...a good sign! Today at the field I let her chase her food tube around. She had fun; I could tell because of all the barking!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Mika's shoulder and Wall-e's training
Mika was popping out of 12 weaves consistently in training last week, so on Sunday I did the soundness test and discovered that she was limping very slightly, putting more weight on her front right leg than her left. Later that day I massaged her left side and found that when I massaged her left shoulder, near the elbow, she tensed up and lifted her head to look at me. "Ouch!" She also didn't want to go up the stairs that evening; she started walking up them (instead of running up like she usually does) and then stopped when she got in the middle and looked at me.
She'll be getting a complete break from agility for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping that it's just a little problem that'll go away after rest and more massage. I'm not going to overreact and think the worst like I did with Wall-e's lameness :) She did seem a bit better yesterday and today.
Today, a couple hours ago, I went to the field to work on Wall-e's dog walk. We're concentrating on the DW now instead of the A-frame because of the easier angle. Last week I back-chained the 2-foot high DW -- he was amazing! -- and today we started back-chaining the full-height DW. I'm using a food-loaded target at the end to build his independence. All 3 reps were great! He's giving as much speed as he's able; hard to get lots of speed when you're just using the down plank.
Then we ran a sequence to practice rear crosses. The first rep went well, but I slipped and fell in the middle of the sequence, haha, so we tried again. The second rep was good too. I just wasn't running fast enough and he didn't know where to go a couple of times.
Afterward, we trained sends to the tunnel. I should have accelerated more, which would have cued him to extend better. Oh well, I'm learning!
I might post a video of Wall-e's training on the weekend, we'll see :)
She'll be getting a complete break from agility for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping that it's just a little problem that'll go away after rest and more massage. I'm not going to overreact and think the worst like I did with Wall-e's lameness :) She did seem a bit better yesterday and today.
Today, a couple hours ago, I went to the field to work on Wall-e's dog walk. We're concentrating on the DW now instead of the A-frame because of the easier angle. Last week I back-chained the 2-foot high DW -- he was amazing! -- and today we started back-chaining the full-height DW. I'm using a food-loaded target at the end to build his independence. All 3 reps were great! He's giving as much speed as he's able; hard to get lots of speed when you're just using the down plank.
Then we ran a sequence to practice rear crosses. The first rep went well, but I slipped and fell in the middle of the sequence, haha, so we tried again. The second rep was good too. I just wasn't running fast enough and he didn't know where to go a couple of times.
Afterward, we trained sends to the tunnel. I should have accelerated more, which would have cued him to extend better. Oh well, I'm learning!
I might post a video of Wall-e's training on the weekend, we'll see :)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Finally -- 2on2off begins!
Quick update. It was Wall-e's first official 2on2off session today on the actual equipment. We only used a flat A-frame today. I started him off by sending him to jump on the yellow from the side and land in 2o2o. I was quickly able to send him to do the entire flat AF; he generalized the position so, so well!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
2on2off plank update
Mr. Man (a.k.a. Wall-e) did a couple sessions of 2on2off plank work today. I have the plank flat at the moment because height isn't my goal at all; I just want to improve his reliability of the position. He flies across the plank so extended that it seems like he won't be able to stop at the end; but alas (don't you love that word?), he *usually* does! Sometimes he releases himself early, but he's improving. If we keep it up, he's going to have a nice dog walk (and hopefully A-frame) when we're able to use the field to back-chain it!
Mika has a fun match tomorrow. Can't wait to reinforce behaviours in the ring!
Mika has a fun match tomorrow. Can't wait to reinforce behaviours in the ring!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Can't wait to backchain!
Wall-e has a rather unhealthy obsession with his 2on2off-with-a-head-bob! We trained it this morning on the stairs with the Plexiglas target again to encourage actual nose touches. (Notice that I was training it on the stairs; we're still on our agility break!) This afternoon, I was cleaning up in the front entrance of the house, and I turned around to see Wall-e in 2o2o position on a piece of cardboard slanting on an angle against something (I forget what). He started doing head bobs when he saw me looking at him. Later on I caught him in 2on2off on a pillow; yes, a pillow!
I think that the head bob has started to become part of the 2o2o behaviour; I don't have to give the head bob cue anymore at all. Funny boy!
I'm really looking forward to backchaining his 2o2o on the contacts when the field opens!
I think that the head bob has started to become part of the 2o2o behaviour; I don't have to give the head bob cue anymore at all. Funny boy!
I'm really looking forward to backchaining his 2o2o on the contacts when the field opens!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wall-e 2on2off with nose touch training
It's a beautiful day today, nice and sunny! Just a bit cold. Still, it's an improvement over the dreary winter weather! I headed out in the backyard with Wall-e to do a bit of 2on2off training on the 12 foot plank (which is raised to almost 3 feet). I put the Plexiglas 2" x 2" target there for him to touch, since he hasn't been giving strong nose touches when I've asked, more of a strong head bob. I hopped him on from the side of the yellow and asked him to Spot (his 2o2o cue), then Touch (his targeting cue). He isn't required to touch his nose to the ground unless I ask him to, but he happily nose-touched the target as soon as he hopped into 2o2o, which I gladly accepted and jackpotted!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A walk at the park
It was Mika's idea to offer a 2on2off on the play structure. I'm looking forward to backchaining their 2o2o on the contacts in the spring. They're completely obsessed with it!
Wall-e joins in
And of course, doing what dogs love to do; sniffsniffsniffSunday, December 27, 2009
Wall-e: plans for the future
I've been making a lot of plans about Wall-e's trialing career. I'm pretty excited to start trialing him, but I'm also a very cautious person in that I really have to think things through before making a decision. That's why Mika was 3 years old when we started trialing -- I wasn't even THINKING about trialing before a few people convinced me that we actually were ready!
I'd like to run Wall-e at Regionals in May 2011 because I'll probably be running Mika (assuming Nationals will be held closer to us in 2011), and I might as well run Wall-e too since we're driving all that way.
So if I want Wall-e to be ready for Regionals (though I don't expect him to qualify for Nationals because he'll barely be 3 years old), I'll have to:
1. put his 2o2o on the full DW and AF
2. train Masters courses and sequences during 2010
3. start trialing
Yep, get ready for some more over-planning, as usual... :)
1. put his 2on2off on the full DW and AF - Right now he has a very nice 2o2o on the plank in the backyard, which is at a 1 foot incline. Before the field opens I'll have to raise it up to 2 feet, so that I can backchain his 2o2o on the contacts.
2. train Masters courses and sequences during 2010 - I don't think he'll really have a problem with the Masters courses. He's pretty good at tough sequences, as long as I handle him half-decently!
3. start trialing - My current plan is for Wall-e's very first trial to be outdoors in September 2010. He'll be 2 years old, about 27 months to be precise. Hopefully it won't be too hot then, and we'll have had the whole summer to train. Then, if all goes well, he'll likely be able to do a couple indoor trials in October.
I want Wall-e to run at full speed consistently, so I don't want to do anything to take his drive away. I want him to know that he should just let loose and RUN, like he does when he chases cars in the backyard! At trials I'll be doing the same thing as I do with Mika -- never correct for mistakes. If he makes a mistake on course, I'll ignore it and continue, but make sure to spend extra time training that skill during training.
I'm looking forward to trialing "the W" -- he's going to be a lot of fun, that's for sure!
~Nat
I'd like to run Wall-e at Regionals in May 2011 because I'll probably be running Mika (assuming Nationals will be held closer to us in 2011), and I might as well run Wall-e too since we're driving all that way.
So if I want Wall-e to be ready for Regionals (though I don't expect him to qualify for Nationals because he'll barely be 3 years old), I'll have to:
1. put his 2o2o on the full DW and AF
2. train Masters courses and sequences during 2010
3. start trialing
Yep, get ready for some more over-planning, as usual... :)
1. put his 2on2off on the full DW and AF - Right now he has a very nice 2o2o on the plank in the backyard, which is at a 1 foot incline. Before the field opens I'll have to raise it up to 2 feet, so that I can backchain his 2o2o on the contacts.
2. train Masters courses and sequences during 2010 - I don't think he'll really have a problem with the Masters courses. He's pretty good at tough sequences, as long as I handle him half-decently!
3. start trialing - My current plan is for Wall-e's very first trial to be outdoors in September 2010. He'll be 2 years old, about 27 months to be precise. Hopefully it won't be too hot then, and we'll have had the whole summer to train. Then, if all goes well, he'll likely be able to do a couple indoor trials in October.
I want Wall-e to run at full speed consistently, so I don't want to do anything to take his drive away. I want him to know that he should just let loose and RUN, like he does when he chases cars in the backyard! At trials I'll be doing the same thing as I do with Mika -- never correct for mistakes. If he makes a mistake on course, I'll ignore it and continue, but make sure to spend extra time training that skill during training.
I'm looking forward to trialing "the W" -- he's going to be a lot of fun, that's for sure!
~Nat
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wall-e's 2on2off training
Wall-e has been learning 2on2off on the plank in the backyard -- woohoo, I'm staying on track with our winter goals :) I used shaping to train the position, which worked well for him. Right now he can run across the flat plank and stop in 2o2o while barely collecting himself (which is what I want, because it means that it'll help him ease into a running contact eventually). Pretty often, though, he either stops short and stops in a 4-on position, or doesn't stop at all, so he probably doesn't understand the position as well as I thought. Back to basics -- this morning, I began backchaining the 2o2o position again, jumping onto the side of the plank from the ground, which a jump standard on either side to help him. He did really good, and I was already seeing improvement by the end of the 3-minute-or-so session.
~Nat
~Nat
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The off-season...now what?
Our club's training field closed last week, so it's now our "off-season" until it opens again in April. We have no trials until March, only fun matches. So the winter gives us a good chance to work on individual skills!
I remember last off-season my main focuses were preparing Mika for Regionals and Wall-e's foundation training (which both paid off!!). I remember that Mika didn't even know rear crosses last year, that was one thing we trained during the winter. Ha! I wouldn't be able to survive without rear crosses now, she's gotten so much more speed!
This winter my focuses are:
Mika
- Refresh her 2on2off training. Since she's been missing most of her contacts lately (except at our last run where she hit both dog walk contacts and the A-frame!!), I've decided to train a 2o2o on the DW and AF, but only for a couple weeks. Then we'll go back to running. Her 2o2o is awesome on the stairs and on the plank right now, hoping that it'll transfer nicely to the "real" contacts!
- Weave entries. We'll be working on tough weave entries with 6 poles in the basement. She's pretty good at the medium-hard ones, but once they start getting more severe she enters at the 2nd or 3rd pole.
Wall-e
- Finish training his 2on2off. This is actually going pretty good. He can do 2o2o on the plank at speed. I'd like to add a nose touch to it though to help him get his focus off of me.
- Perfect his weaves. Great news! -- WALL-E WEAVES!! He's obsessive about it, too. Whenever I go in the backyard he runs over to me, leaps in the air in traditional Wall-e style, runs over to the weaves, and starts weaving. Crazy dog. They're his favourite obstacle now! He has nice entries, which the 2x2 training helped a lot. The only thing is that he skips poles at the end when he gets really excited (like when I'm using Nature's Variety raw food as a reward!)
Contacts and weaves. We'll refresh foundation training too. Not a lot to work on, and nothing really "crucial" this time (unlike last off-season when I was preparing Mika for Regionals). I plan to teach them a lot more tricks and just have fun with training. Although I'm sure I'll start REALLY missing running sequences and courses soon (since I have a small yard) it'll be a nice winter!
~Nat
I remember last off-season my main focuses were preparing Mika for Regionals and Wall-e's foundation training (which both paid off!!). I remember that Mika didn't even know rear crosses last year, that was one thing we trained during the winter. Ha! I wouldn't be able to survive without rear crosses now, she's gotten so much more speed!
This winter my focuses are:
Mika
- Refresh her 2on2off training. Since she's been missing most of her contacts lately (except at our last run where she hit both dog walk contacts and the A-frame!!), I've decided to train a 2o2o on the DW and AF, but only for a couple weeks. Then we'll go back to running. Her 2o2o is awesome on the stairs and on the plank right now, hoping that it'll transfer nicely to the "real" contacts!
- Weave entries. We'll be working on tough weave entries with 6 poles in the basement. She's pretty good at the medium-hard ones, but once they start getting more severe she enters at the 2nd or 3rd pole.
Wall-e
- Finish training his 2on2off. This is actually going pretty good. He can do 2o2o on the plank at speed. I'd like to add a nose touch to it though to help him get his focus off of me.
- Perfect his weaves. Great news! -- WALL-E WEAVES!! He's obsessive about it, too. Whenever I go in the backyard he runs over to me, leaps in the air in traditional Wall-e style, runs over to the weaves, and starts weaving. Crazy dog. They're his favourite obstacle now! He has nice entries, which the 2x2 training helped a lot. The only thing is that he skips poles at the end when he gets really excited (like when I'm using Nature's Variety raw food as a reward!)
Contacts and weaves. We'll refresh foundation training too. Not a lot to work on, and nothing really "crucial" this time (unlike last off-season when I was preparing Mika for Regionals). I plan to teach them a lot more tricks and just have fun with training. Although I'm sure I'll start REALLY missing running sequences and courses soon (since I have a small yard) it'll be a nice winter!
~Nat
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