Wow... it's been ages since I've made a blog post in here. I think I tend to write in bursts so, hopefully, this is the start of a blog post burst. :)
Yesterday, I pulled the Jaakko Turn task card from my agility grab bag. For those of you guys who aren't familiar with what a Jaakko turn is, it's a fairly new agility handling move from the One Mind Dog (OMD) crew. The Jaakko is sort of replacing the Ketschker as the go to move to cue a tight turn like you would need to wrap a jump. I am actually starting to seriously embrace the One Mind Dog handling system because Ocean really reads these cues that I've been using well. I decided to use part of a Masters USDAA course to practice our Jaakko turns. Coming from the landing side of jump #2 with Ocean wrapping #3 to the right (coming through 2 and 3) and heading to 4 was my handling game plan. The Jaakko cue would happen right in front of 3.
What exactly is a Jaakko turn? With the Jaakko, Ocean is on my left side heading to jump 3 and I start to position myself near the front of that jump and on the side that I want him to turn. My body is facing forward and I stoop down with that left arm across my body cueing him to take that jump. My body language should tell him this is strong deceleration and for him to chip in and turn tight to the side that I am standing (and to not take #2 again.) There's also a blind cross element to this turn! I intend to pick Ocean up again with my left hand as I move towards jump #4. So, as Ocean is in the air and wrapping the jump upright, he and I are more or less doing a blind cross. This is one of the few times you'll see me do something like a blind cross with him. LOL So, that's the Jaakko...and what separates that from the Ketschker is that you do stoop down low to cue that strong deceleration. The Ketschker, you stay more upright...and you don't get as hard as a deceleration cue.
Here's some video from yesterday...complete with weird music. ;) You'll see that our jump backsides still need some work. My instructor and I decided that I really should start handling backsides on the take off side because when I'm on the landing side, I can't get myself out of the way enough for me not to get hit by him. So....that take off backside handling is something new to our agility handling toolbox.
So you guys...'til next time! I have some rally tutorials I have to edit and I'm hoping to get those up relatively soon. :)
FINALLY!!!! The videos are back! Over the summer, my tripod I used to take these videos vanished. I have no idea where it went...like it was stashed in a place in this house that it will never see the light of day again. I've looked and looked all over the place and could not find it. I eventually resigned to the fact that it is buried someplace in the basement or maybe got left outside in a place that I just haven't thought of. But, I broke down and got a new one and the tutorials are back in business.
Since I made that blog post last week about online acquaintances struggling with younger dogs in performance sports...I've done some more thinking while off showing in agility over the weekend and have more thoughts on this.
The more I think about this notion of pushing the maturity issue with younger dogs and the parallel idea of people. (I'm not going down the Anthropomorphism rabbit hole here.) None of us
would expect a 12 - 14 year old kid to go and work successfully on Wall
Street as a banker...or as an tax accountant...or a police or fireman. We don't expect 12 -
14 year old kids to be able to work college level calculus. Yes, there
are some exceptional kids who could take on college level courses or
actual jobs like scientists or law enforcement....but they are
exceptional and few and far between. Why do we expect that same level of maturity of our younger
dogs for them to work at the same level as a 5 - 7 year old dog??
I was joking with an agility friend earlier this summer that Ocean at 3 was like a 21 year
old college guy. A 21 year old old college guy is a mix of great choices
and not so great choices. And that in a nutshell, was Ocean this past
year...a mix or good choices in the ring and a mix of not so great choices. At turning 4 years old in a couple of weeks, Ocean is more or less equivalent to a 28 year old guy and 28
year old men can be successful at holding down an actual job and making
a whole bunch of great choice with maybe a not so great one thrown in
for fun. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming year with my true adult dog in agility.
I think there's something to be said about being honest with where your young dogs are in their mental maturity. Yes, a 12 month old large breed dog looks like a grown up dog. But their brain is still in puppy land. So, if you have the 4 legged equivalent of a 12 - 14 year old kid, try to allow them to stay in middle school where they belong instead of trying to shove them into post doctorate work.
I decided to make a small series of blog posts that talk about how and where to find things to work on for the various cards that make up the task packs. I get asked "How will I know what to train?" a bunch from people who are thinking about purchasing tasks or that are new to their Train 'Em Tasks task packs. This is probably the second most popular question Train 'Em Tasks gets asked after "Are there any description exercises on the back of the cards?" I'm going to share my resources I pull my training plans from when I pull my own task cards from their grab bags. I'll also share where to find these resources for your own library of training resources.
I do have a fairly vast library of training references - books, DVD's, magazines, agility course maps from trials, seminar notes, and websites that I regularly pull ideas from that will match the task cards I pull myself. I have never, ever intended the task cards to replace working with an instructor or attending a class for the various things the task card packs are based on. I do understand that there are areas of the world where training facilities, classes, and instructors are hours away from my customers. I live in New England and I'm very fortunate I have numerous dog training facilities/instructors within an hour to an hour and a half drive. I tend to forget that isn't the case for everyone. But, that being said, the task cards aren't going to help anyone who has no idea what the exercise is on the task card. They are not meant to teach the exercise...just help you choose what to work on that day. Eventually, I will be producing products that offer basic exercise descriptions much like the Rally Prep Packs for the various dog training avenues we have products for. (I can hear the cheers from Task Nation over that news. **grin**)
The first reference book for Task Cards I'm going to chat about is for Competitive Obedience...mostly because it was sitting right here next to my laptop. I have two other Competitive Obedience books I'll discuss over the next week or two. The Art of Proofing by Adele Yunck is one of my go to books for coming up for new ways to change up my obedience training routine with Lars. Yunck is also the co-author of one of the other books I'm going to be talking about soon. I'll quote the back of the book:
"Many exhibitors skip the crucial step of proofing when preparing to show their dogs in obedience trials. During proofing, you expose your dog to more and more difficult distractions to teach him to maintain his concentration and complete the obedience exercises. This book will help you explore proofing, whether by training by yourself, with a helper, or in a group. Author Adele Yunck draws on her extensive teaching and trialing background as she explores this fascinating subject."
This is a book that I wouldn't really use for a dog that is just learning competitive obedience exercises. Proofing is meant to test a dog's understanding on an exercise. Proofing a dog who doesn't have a good sense of the what you are asking of it isn't that fair. It's fair to ask a dog it's understanding when it is no longer learning but practicing what you've taught it. Proofing, when done correctly, builds confidence instead of destroying it. This is why I tend to do a lot of proofing exercises with Lars in obedience and Ocean gets more in the way of games in new things he's learning. I'm testing if Lars truly knows his job and I'm building his confidence for when things may go weird in the obedience show environment. It's not fair for me to ask Ocean to work through a hard distraction when he is just learning the game. I'll destroy Ocean's trust in me and his confidence in obedience if I push too hard, too fast.
One other little caveat about this book...Yunck does discuss the use of verbal and physical corrections with proofing. The idea of corrections has become a taboo to some dog trainers. My view on corrections is when used appropriately and fairly, they are an invaluable way to communicate information to the dog. Yunck does discuss how she uses corrections fairly in the book and I feel that it does a great job of explaining the correct and fair way to use corrections (verbal and physical.) If the idea of using corrections in your dog training makes you uncomfortable, please do not discount this book. You can still find this book incredibly helpful for ideas to challenge you and your dog in your training.
What I really like about this little book is that she has it all broken down by each competitive obedience exercise from Novice to Utility. So, if you pull any Train 'Em Tasks competitive obedience task card...this book has you covered with a slew of different things to add to your training. The first part of the book, Yunck discusses basic proofing concepts...things like timing proofs, if your dog anticipates, proofing attention, adding people, and other things like that. She has suggestions for proofing exercises when you're training alone at home, if you're training with a friend, or if your training with a group of people. Yunck makes it easy to tell what proof is appropriate by using a graphic of 1, 2 or 3 people. For example, a proof you can do yourself - use large stuffed toys either on the ground or in chairs for your Figure 8 Exercise. (Believe me, this book is LOADED with single person proofs you can do yourself.) A type of proof you can do with a friend - have someone repeat "Finish!" to make sure your dog waits for YOUR command rather than moving on the judge's command. A sample of one of the group proofs - have several people clap and cheer after your dog responds to each of your utility signals as this will mimic the happy and astounded crowd of non obedience people watching your run.
Along with the proofing for each exercises and their various pieces, Yunck also has a small overview of what the exercise is and what is expected of you in the obedience ring when doing those exercises. I like this information for people who may be new to the sport itself or who have never gone to Open or Utility before. She helps take away some of the mystery of what the ring procedure is for each exercise. It also helps so people can practice the exercises in a way they will happen in the ring as well.
If competitive obedience is the game you want to play with your dogs...this book is a must have in my opinion. I pull my task cards in the morning and then I thumb through this book looking for things to try as proofs. Lars gets bored with obedience exercises if they are done the same way every time we do them in the backyard. He's a dog who likes to think and use his brain...using this book accomplishes that. Some of the proofs, he sails through with flying colors. Other proofs, he really has to think about the job at hand and sometimes he does falter and gets something wrong. But faltering is honestly a good thing because then we get to work on something and build both my knowledge and his confidence and knowledge.
So....where to get this wonderful little reference book?? Click on the links below and it will take you to the different merchants who carry it. :)
Oh wow, I didn't anticipate not blogging for 10 days! Transcendent Trainers has seemed to take on a little bit of a life of it's own. I ended up just getting my butt in gear and moving forward on that much more than I thought I would at the start of it. The positive feedback I've gotten on the products thus far has pushed me to make it more of a sister site than just a section in the Tasks website. Now, you can find the Transcendent Trainer Gear at www.transcendenttrainers.com and I'm planning on adding new things with new designs on a regular basis. So, so, SO excited about that project.
Things have been a little bit quiet on the training front here these past 10 to 14 days. Summer has hit us for one of those weeks...we had a heat wave which will make me (and the guys) hide in my basement where it stays cool. When I have felt motivated to train at dusk, it's been short sessions just to give the guys something to use their brains. But there was one night that I did video Lars' obedience training session of directed jumping.
Lars and I have taken a good chunk of time off from serious obedience training after the beginning of May. We both needed a break from working so hard on getting that UD. Not to mention, May was the beginning of Ocean's agility trial season. So, I just shifted gears and let Lars be a dog for a couple of months while Ocean became my focus. I've started to bring obedience back to the front training burners again. Lars and I did an obedience run thru a couple of weeks ago and a few things were rusty, as to be expected.
That was the full gamut of what was pulled the night I worked Go Out's and directed jumping. Some of you Task fans might remember that Lars had a soft tissue injury in his shoulder last year. He earned two UD legs back to back right before the injury sidelined him for 7 months. Before that injury, he had rocking go outs and he would sit in the middle of the ring. After this 7 month rehab, his go outs became very inconsistent. Sometimes he would run straight but more often than not, he would hook hard to the right and line himself up to the high jump. That was just points. It was fine if the high jump was the jump he had to take. But....not so much if he had to run across the ring and jump the bar. Sometimes he would run somewhat straight and sit just to the right of the middle stantion. I've done a ton of thinking about this whole issue....and I more or less have come to the conclusion that Lars has forgotten where his end target it or that he feels as long as he's someplace along the back fence, that's correct.
One thing that I had done before the injury was use a target box for Lars to run and sit in a target box sort of like a picture frame. It was out there all...the...time when Lars did go outs. But it was big and clunky and a royal pain to lug around to run thrus. So, after the injury, I naively thought we didn't need it anymore. That's where the door to interpretive go out positions opened up. After these 2.5 months off from obedience, the box is coming back....but in a different form. I'm going to use a collapsible yard stick that I can make any size for Lars' go out target....and it will always be there.
Cutie pie Lars exhibiting where he must sit when he must go "AWAY!"
I bought this yard stick after we got the UD and I hadn't used it much this summer. Lars seemed to think that he should sit just to the right of the "box". Nope....Lars, that's not what I'm looking for, pal. That has become his default position when he does head out back straight.
We spent some of our directed jumping task time working on the idea of your butt must be in the box for me to click my clicker and you get treats. (See...this is again why there are no exercise descriptions on the back of the task cards. You work on what you need to do that day.) I am big, big fan of using clickers in training and this is a perfect application for it. Lars and I use clickers for me to get across EXACTLY what I am looking for him to do. And Lars is a funny guy....because he will do things incorrectly, sort of incorrectly, and correctly to figure out what I am actually looking for. It's like...he's processing it all himself with "If I sit here....nope, okay....how about here?? Nope again huh....let's go back to where I got that click....yup, alright. Let me try 3" over from here....nope. okay." I let him be wrong....because that's how he figures it out.
Raised bed veggie garden beds make great go out distractions...
In that training session, he figured out what I wanted: his butt squarely in that v-shaped box. Then I started to add some distance with each attempt....clicking and rewarding when he nailed it. And there was no click and no cookies when he didn't. We got to this point at the end of the training session which I was very pleased with!
One thing I have to also work on is getting Lars to mark the go out spot better. That was one thing I didn't teach because I didn't know better. We're going to be adding that to our things to do list when go outs or directed jumping tasks are pulled.
Obedience trial season will be ramping up for the fall soon and this will be my project for the next several weeks. I'm sort of looking at this as a re-train instead of fixing. But, I think this will help us with our "where exactly am I supposed to be" question that seems to pop up more often than I like in the Utility ring. I will be reporting on how this turns out for us. ;)
I just love talking with my Tasks Customers because they show me new and cool ways to use my products that I haven't thought of. I get to hear about great ideas from various sources. When someone purchases anything from Train 'Em Tasks, they get an invite to our Tasks Customer Community Group on Facebook. The Tasks Customers group is a great place to bounce ideas off of other Tasks users and they come from all different walks of dog training: Obedience, Rally, Agility, IPO, French Ring, Herding, Mondioring, and etc. I get Facebook messages and emails from past customers where they share how Tasks have changed their training sessions. Lastly, past customers find me at trials, run thus, and when I'm out and about training my own dogs and we chat about how we are using Tasks stuff. I think sharing info between trainers is so valuable. Sometimes having someone's different perspective on something you have been working on or through can help us see it on a much different angle.
They were using the AKC Rally Novice Task Pack and grab bag to pull different task card signs so they could build their own course at home. Once they had enough cards that they could have a full sized AKC Rally Novice Course (10 - 15 signs,) they would arrange them on a table like they would be on a map you would get at a trial. They took a photo of what they pulled and built with their phone and then headed outside with their full sized signs. Using their phone pic of the tasks, they can build a rally course on their own.
This is brilliant and I love it. The more I do Train 'Em Tasks, I find that people do not have regular access too classes and run thrus like we do here in New England. A lot of people are going forth and learning rally on their own because they are in remote areas or in places where competitive dog sports is not popular. Using our rally task packs and our full sized signs with the exercise descriptions on the back can totally work for someone who doesn't have access to rally maps because they are new to the sport. It can also work for someone who may have a limited amount of rally maps or outdated (pre 2012) rally maps from past trials. I have blogged in the past about using Tasks in the classroom. This method of using rally tasks and signs could absolutely work there too. The students could pull the task cards and arrange them into a course they want to work on. For anyone who is in levels higher than AKC Rally Novice can do this same method of pulling cards with the AKC Rally Taskmaster Collection (Novice - Excellent and a large grab bag) and our Full Sized Complete AKC Rally Sign set.
Right now we have task card packs and full sized sign packs for WCRL (formerly known as APDT) rally and using them this way would totally work too. I'm hoping to finalize the task packs and full sized sign packs for the other venues of rally we carry in Prep Pack form this fall.
Okay....I am laughing so hard at myself. For 3 months, I have been
banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how to do drop
down menus in the shop so finding stuff for you guys is easier. I just
could not figure it out.
This morning? By sheer
accident...discovered how drop down menus work. ROFLMAO!!!! So, now
there's no more digging around the site to find what you're looking for!
And...I'm branching out into something fun: Train 'Em Gear you can wear!!! This will end up leap frogging into something else I have kicking around in my head that will come later this year.
Anyway, please come and check out the WAAAAAAYYYYYY easier to navigate website. www.trainemtasks.com
