Creatively experimenting with your dog until you come up with what works for each team is an important aspect of educating, and also hugely satisfying. Today we played with creative ideas to generate energy and enthusiasm as well as building value for "Break!" and startlines.
Pearls:
The manners minder remote control treat dispenser is a great tool and lends itself to creative ways to build value for cues and behaviors
Reinforce Jackie for getting excited by beeping and treating with the manners minder while she is playing the "Shwoom!" game. Jackie is reinforced for getting excited, which will teach her it is okay to let go and be excited while she is playing
Building value for "Break!" using the manners minder:
Jackie gains confidence from chasing me, so for now it is important that I keep running so that Jackie can chase me, and so that she knows the line she is to run. If I keep going without pausing, then Jackie can also keep running while knowing where I want her to go by my advance cues.
Pearls:
In order to build value for prompt, enthusiastic startlines, play the 1,2,3 "Go!" game with Jackie, driving her to the manners minder to reward running forward from the start line on cue
Play with Jackie before starting her run so that she is engaged and enthusiastic
When running, keep my arm up indicating Jackie's line she is to run
When cueing a loop around the near side of a barrel, remember to say "Here!" to cue Jackie to turn toward me then "Loop, loop, loop!" to cue Jackie to collect and loop around the barrel
Jackie and I attended the Canine Conditioning Seminar led by our coach Robin Barber at Cowtown Dog Sports. We learned about proper warm-up and cool-down, several balance and proprioception exercises to begin, the importance of proper form, and how to measure your dog to best track her body condition. It is important to trim your dog's toenails appropriately, about every couple of weeks, for proper balance and correct gait biomechanics. There was an excellent discussion about the role of dew claws and how dogs use their dew claws for running, balance, and stability. An ideal body condition score, from 1 being the most under-ideal to 9 being massively fat, is 4 to 5. However, it is noted that a dog can have an "ideal" body condition score of 4 to 5 and still have plenty of room to improve overall sport-related fitness.
Pearls:
Warm-up can include walking, stretches such as bow "Bravo!", moving laterally in full-pass, and sit-down-sit puppy push-ups
Balance and proprioception exercises should only be introduced gradually and practiced for a few seconds at a time to gradually build your dog's fitness level and confidence
Body condition is best tracked by keeping a weekly record of your dog's weight, hind legs circumference, waist circumference, and girth measurements
Photographic tracking of your dog's body condition of front, rear, and both side views is also helpful in determining increased fitness over time
Cool-down can include walking, treat-stretches, and stretches using a chair or the handler's body to elongate the dog in a full-body stretch
Jackie's initial body condition photos on 7/16/22:
Jackie's primary measurements on 7/16/22 are:
Weight: 32.7 pounds
Left hind leg circumference (at the gaskin): 25 centimeters
Right hind leg circumference (at the gaskin): 23.5 centimeters
Waist circumference (at the smallest "tuck" area): 43 centimeters
Girth (where you would place the girth if she were a horse): 58 centimeters
Measured previously on 9/9/21, Jackie's height at the withers is 19.5 inches
Overall, Jackie's body condition is within the ideal range as she is a 4 on a scale of 1 to 9. A score of 4 means her ribs are easily palpable, with minimal fat covering, her waist is easily noted viewed from above, and her abdominal tuck is evident.
Jackie's fitness level can certainly be improved from a dog-sport standpoint, which is our goal going forward.
Obstacle discriminations for the A-frame versus tunnel include clearly cueing Jackie with my driving arm pulling in toward my hip "In!" "Feet!" to indicate the A-frame, and "Go tunnel!" to cue the tunnel. Jackie is also doing well with post turns and wraps, "Round round round!" and "Loop loop loop!"
Pearls:
Engage with Jackie by playing with her a few moments before the startline, to encourage and enliven her to continue to play
While Jackie is still in the tunnel, get out the next verbal cue early so she knows where she is going as she comes out of the tunnel
Discriminations between the tunnel and A-frame are often encountered at the startline of courses. To indicate the tunnel, stand facing the line toward the tunnel, release the dog and take one step toward the dog's line with your hand held up like a stop sign and your elbow straight, to indicate to Jackie to take the line to the tunnel while saying "Break! Out! Tunnel, tunnel tunnel!" To indicate the A-frame, begin facing with your feet and shoulders forward in the direction of the dog's line, and your driving arm straight out to the side. Release the dog and drop your straight arm down to your hip indicating her to come in toward you to her line and say "Break! In! Feet!"
Jackie's cue for barrel wraps is "Round, round, round!" Jackie's cue for looping around the barrel is "Loop, loop, loop!" The handler points their right arm and foot to indicate the dog's line when the barrel is to the left of the handler, and the handler points their left arm and foot to indicate the dog's line when the barrel is to the right of the handler.
Pearls:
Allow Jackie to completely settle into a sit, and only then ask her to "Wait!" (stay) at the startline.
Keep forward momentum, and run as fast as possible. The faster my forward momentum, the faster Jackie runs.
When cueing barrel loops, keep your driving arm low and your eyes down indicating the dog's line, and be sure to turn very sharply and obviously, almost like a pivot, to indicate to Jackie that she is going to be making a tight turn while verbally cueing "Loop, loop, loop!"
Barrel loop foundations, obstacle discrimination, and barrels, tunnels, hoops mini-courses:
