Gunner Advanced Rally

 Gunner is doing a great job continuing to play advanced Rally. 

Pearls:

• Reinforce remaining in good heel position while standing
• When making a turn, be sure to keep walking forward through the turn rather than pivoting in place
• For sit/pivot/sit, be sure to remain in place and pivot on one spot

Gunner and me having fun tonight playing Rally:

Running Alongside Jackie Weaves

Today we played running alongside Jackie while she weaves again, and we introduced the verbal cue "Weave!"

Jackie is definitely understanding the assignment!

Here we start with independent weaves and work up to running alongside as Jackie weaves:

Agility Class

 Today we played weaves, wraps, and post turns over a jump.

Pearls:

• Start putting the verbal cue "Weave!" with the weaves obstacle
• Start running, slowly, alongside Jackie as she goes through the weaves
• Practice running alongside Jackie through the weaves with her on both the right and left sides
• "Round round round!" means Jackie collects to make a tight turn to go through (or past if it's a barrel) the obstacle and turn tightly toward me 
• "Loop loop loop" means Jackie collects to make a tight turn to go through (or past for a barrel) the obstacle and turn tightly away from me

Jackie is boogie-ing right along!

Robot Weaves Continue

Jackie playing weaves again today, being reinforced with the treat-and-train robot:

Robot Weaves

The Treat-and-Train robot has been great this week for reinforcing weaves. Jackie was so happy and enthusiastic today!

Here's Jackie enthusiastically playing weaves with the robot:

Jackie Great Job! Handler Critiques

 Jackie has had a step change in her understanding of weaves this week. Today she had 100% error-free success rate from start to finish. Since she was doing such a great job, we stopped and celebrated after six consecutive weaves, three on handler's right and three on handler's left. 

Jackie is also doing a great job with two-on-two-off (2o2o) contact behavior. However, I need to continue my own learning and understanding in order to avoid clumping (trying to teach too many layers of behavior at one time), rather than breaking each behavior down to the absolute simplest form and understanding each layer independently. 

For Jackie's trick title, in the past we have practiced riding a skateboard, where Jackie runs up to a skateboard, gets on it with three feet, then kicks with one hindleg in a pumping motion to propel the skateboard forward while she rides on it. 

So Jackie has been hugely reinforced for experimenting with "pumping" her hindlegs while being on a board (a type of contact really) and for touching the ground with at least one hindleg. Now I'm having to reinforce 2o2o behavior at the agility contacts so that she understands the difference. 

While doing so I should have focused on 2o2o behavior separate from barrel wraps behavior before so she has a very clear understanding of each separate behavior, and only then sequence the behaviors once Jackie has shown she successfully understands each individual behavior. 

Resurrecting the treat-and-train robot to reinforce weaving this week has been helpful! It's a work in progress and we're having fun playing together. 

Jackie having 100% start-to-finish success on weaves today, and too much "clumping" of 2o2o and barrel wraps but still with overall gains:

Weaves and Teeters

 Jackie played weaves and teeters today, and did her first full motion teeter:

Weaves and Sequences

Jackie and I have been focusing on weaves, and she is doing a good job with six straight weaves. 

Today we played weaves again and short sequences including turns out of tunnels.

Pearls:

• When making a turn out of a tunnel, cue the turn "Here!" before the dog enters the tunnel
• At this point it is ok to go with Jackie to the obstacle a little until she is committed to taking the jump
• Using the treat and train robot is another good way to reinforce Jackie running straight ahead out of the weaves

Jackie playing weaves, sequences, and turns out of tunnels:

Six Weave Poles First Time

 Jackie and I have been playing weaves, and I am chuffed that she did six straight weaves for the first time today! At this point I still have to set her up and occasionally go with her a little, but she is understanding what to do and doing a great job.

Jackie's first time seeing six weave poles:

The Dog Aging Project 1,2,3 Treat Game

 Rosco is enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, an ongoing study conducted by the University of Washington and Texas A&M University, with the goal of understanding how genes, lifestyle, and environment influence aging. They want to use the information they gather to help pets and people increase healthspan, the period of life spent free from disease.  

As part of Rosco's enrollment in the Dog Again Project, today he participated in the 1,2,3 Treat Game. I followed the study protocol to construct three identical boxes and prepare the setup array by following the Dog Aging Project protocol. 

After warming up by allowing Rosco to watch me place a single treat into each cardboard box from all three array stations individually, we then proceeded to complete the nine study rounds of the 1,2,3 Treat Game. 

Each round, Rosco was on his leash on my left-hand side as we walked clockwise around the left-hand of the array. Rosco watched me place a treat into each box and was allowed to eat the treat from all except one box each round.

Rosco was given 20 seconds to search only one box each round. If he chose "right" he was allowed to eat the treat from the box. If he chose "wrong" he returned to me and we proceeded to the next round without letting him eat the treat.

Though there is really no "right" or "wrong," Rosco got five out of nine rounds "right" by choosing to search the box that he had watched us leave a treat inside as we walked around the array. Rosco thouth it was a fun game and we are to complete it annually, with no "practicing" in between years. 

Results: Out of nine rounds, Rosco got five "right."

Round 1: Treat in Box 1, Rosco chose Box 1 right

Round 2: Treat in Box 2, Rosco chose Box 2 right

Round 3: Treat in Box 3, Rosco chose Box 2 wrong

Round 4: Treat in Box 2, Rosco chose Box 2 right

Round 5: Treat in Box 3, Rosco chose Box 3 right

Round 6: Treat in Box 1, Rosco chose Box 1 right

Round 7: Treat in Box 3, Rosco chose Box 2 wrong

Round 8: Treat in Box 2, Rosco chose Box 1 wrong

Round 9: Treat in Box 1, Rosco chose Box 2 wrong

Rosco chose Box 1:  three out of 9 times (Box 1 was right 3 times in the study protocol, Rosco wrongly chose Box 1 one time, Rosco rightly chose Box 1 two times)

Rosco chose Box 2:  five out of 9 times (Box 2 was right 3 times in the study protocol, Rosco wrongly chose Box 2 three times, Rosco rightly chose Box 2 two times)

Rosco chose Box 3:  one out of 9 times (Box 3 was right 3 times in the study protocol, Rosco wrongly chose Box 3 zero times, Rosco rightly chose Box 3 one time)

At 15 years of age, Rosco is rocking it:

Rosco playing the 1,2,3 Treat Game:

Short courses, and a scary moment

 Pearls:

• Guide Jackie's path of travel as though you are drawing a line with a crayon; the path that the crayon line is drawn is where she will run
• Don't talk to your dog while she is running the dog walk so that she can focus on where she is going
• For serpentines, remember to turn more so that it is obvious to Jackie the path she is to run

Jackie recovered well from a scary moment while playing sequences today:

NADAC VT Agility Trial March 11, 2023

Pending judge's approval, five out of Jackie's six intro runs at Cowtown Dog Sports NADAC VT agility trial this weekend were Qs. We ran four intro traditional runs and two intro grounders runs.

Jackie playing NADAC agility at Cowtown Dog Sports VT agility trial:

Teeters, Weaves, and Short Sequences

 Pearls:

• Keep your arm down closer to your body when cueing for an obstacle that is closer to you
• When cueing an obstacle that is further away from you, raise your arm to point at the obstacle; however, avoid pointing up to the sky as the dog won't know where you're indicating to go. Rather, point out across to the obstacle you are cueing
• When teaching weaves, go with Jackie a little bit so she has confidence to continue through the weaves
• For teaching weaves, set up Jackie so she can have a moment to think about the approach to the weaves

Jackie playing teeters, weaves, and short sequences: