Cue Earlier

While describing your dog's line of travel on course, remember to cue much sooner than even feels necessary. Earlier and smoother handler cues make it easier and more fun for the dog. 

The take-home pearl for today is CUE SOONER 

Pearls:

• Give your on-course cues much earlier than you think is necessary at this point
• Carry the lotus ball in the opposite hand to what your driving hand will be for the last obstacle
• Homework includes building drive and value for individual jumps, do this by having Jackie drive to a variety of reinforcers such as the lotus ball and manners minder
• It bears repeating: CUE EARLIER 

 Jackie playing serpentines and rear crosses:

Weaves and Fun Courses

 Jackie playing weaves and a fun course October 18, 2022:

Playing Fall 2022

 Clips of Jackie playing hoops, discriminations, rear crosses, and the broad jump:

Learning Teeter Totter and Courses with Discriminations and Rear Crosses

 Pearls:

• When teaching the teeter-totter, be sure to give it a name "Go Bang!" and then give the stopped contact cue "Feet!" so Jackie learns that it is different from the dog walk or other contact obstacle, that way she learns it is going to move and can adjust herself for the movement
• Always turn toward your dog when doing crosses
• In cueing discriminations and turns, where my feet point Jackie knows to go to that obstacle

Jackie learning Teeter Totter and playing a course with discriminations:

Playing at Home

 Taking advantage of the beautiful autumn weather, today we set up some discriminations and simple courses at our home base.

Pearls:

• Remember to give clear cues using less voice and more body language
• When I call Jackie's name, that indicates to her to look at me; while playing agility I should be clearly describing Jackie's line of travel 

Jackie playing at her home base with a friend:

WEAVES!

 Pearls:

• Your dog needs to be displaying each new behavior a minimum of 4 out of every 5 attempts correctly before you are ready to move on to something more challenging, as in while learning weave poles
• To begin, place two sets (a total of four poles) of 2 x 2 weave poles with a very obvious open channel the dog can run through down the middle of the clear channel. Then as she gets proficient at each step, gradually close the weave channel bit by bit until Jackie has to "wiggle" to get through the weaves
• Show Jackie the entry, then it is her responsibility to weave through each successive pole

Jackie beginning weaves:

Agility small courses, serpentines, and rear crosses

 Pearls:

• Shut up more. It's okay to give one verbal cue, and then use your body language to clearly indicated the dog's line of travel
• Where your feet and body are pointed is important: if I'm pointing at the tunnel Jackie will go in the tunnel; if I'm pointed along the line of the hoop she will go through the hoop
• Run! Jackie takes confidence from me when I am running ahead and clearly directing her line of travel

It's helpful to learn what TO do, but sometimes you just have to say "don't do that!" and learn from your mistakes:

Gunner Advanced Rally Virtual Trial

 Gunner has progressed from Novice Rally to Advanced Rally. Tonight we played the AKC Rally Advanced Virtual Course 5.

Pearls:

• Continue to reinforce for active heeling position
• Continue to reinforce for heel forward in slow pace where Gunner stays walking in heel position
• Reinforce prompt four-on-the-floor sits during call to front

Gunner playing RAV5 with individual cone discriptions:

NADAC VT Agility Trial

Jackie played in her very first agility trial October 1, 2022 at the North American Dog Agility Council Video Tape Agility Trial at Cowtown Dog Sports! 

Pearls:

• Trials are a nice litmus test to highlight things that are going well and new information about behaviors that need strengthening
• The good include: Jackie's stopped contacts are really solid, as are her startlines
• Needs strengthening: my management of Jackie while crating and being in a very stimulating environment; Jackie did well at first but got a little overwhelmed when left alone among other barking dogs. Also we need to work on recalls in a distracting environment
• After each run, remember to quickly make my way to a high value primary reinforcer and give lots of prasie. I did this, but I need to be quicker to the cheese!
• Ideas include getting Jackie out to new and distracting environments like Home Depot and outdoor pubs so she learns how to be comfortable paying attenting to me in stimulating situations
• Remember to keep running forward, smoothly indicating to Jackie her line of travel
• Jackie has come so far and taught me so much, and I am that proud of her!

Jackie's first and second run at an agility trial:

Agility 3.2 Week 1

 Pearls:

• Bring the lotus ball to each training session, since it is a good way to keep Jackie running out ahead of the handler
• Now we can begin using a variable rate of reinforcement for contacts
• At home, continue to practice very basic foundation skills such as building value for hoops and jumps, and building value for playing short sequences
• Practice rear crosses at home: "Back!"

Jackie playing short sequences and discriminations: