Agility Jump Skills Task: Set Point Exercise

I am so bummed, I had done this task with the new slow motion feature on my iPad with the idea I would use the video clips in this blog post. But something odd happened because I'm still getting used to how things work with features like that...and the videos were uploaded to my computer without the slow motion intact. Ugh....so I have just regular speed clips of what the boys did with this exercise. I'm sorry about that. The next time I do this exercise, I'll upload the slow motion videos directly to YouTube from my iPad. Ugh.

The set point exercise is a simplified jump grid for agility dogs. I also am a firm believer that competitive obedience dogs who are preparing for Open and Utility would also really benefit from doing this sort of jump training. If you are seasoned in agility, then you might recognize this jumping exercise from Susan Salo and her jump grids materials. This is found on her Foundation Jumping DVD and her new book Jumping Grid Workbook . Both resources are available on Clean Run's website and I do recommend any of Salo's material. This agility task is part of our Agility Jumping Skills Task Pack and is available on our website: www.trainemtasks.com

The set point exercise is pretty much the only grid that will teach your dog the proper mechanics of getting themselves to lift off of the ground  and over a jump. There is no speed, there is no distance, and there is no influence from the handler on this one....it's just the dog jumping one jump. This grid really should be often as a dog is learning how to jump so they get used to how jumping correctly feels.

With the set point exercise there are two jumps, one's called the facilitator jump and the set point jump your dog is be jumping over. The facilitator jump can be a jump bump or a non-winged jump set at the height of about 4 - 6" depending on the height of your dog. This facilitator jump is never set higher than 6" or else the whole purpose of the set point exercise is lost. All the facilitator jump is defines the space that is available to the dog and more of less put them in the right place for take off. That space will cause your dog to step in, rock back on to it's rear, spring into the air and drop it's head while it's over the jump. The distance the facilitator jump is from the set point jump and the distance your dog is from the facilitator jump is dependent on how long your dog's back is.

The set point jump can be any agility jump you choose with the exception the broad jump. The height of the jump can be anywhere from low to your dog's competition height. Salo does recommend that when working with the set point exercise to change the height of the jump often so the dog will pay better attention to what the job at hand is.

On the other side of the set point jump is a target (that is easily seen by the dog) with a reward. It needs to be far enough away from the set point jump that the dog can finish it's stride after it's landed. This can be anywhere from 6 - 10' depending on the size of your dog.

And so what are you doing while your dog is working the grid? Not a whole lot to be honest. Where you stand is one step ahead of where the target is and one step away off to the side. This way your dog can get to the target and not charge ahead of you. (In the videos I'm going to be posting...I am not in the position because I wanted to show you what my dogs were doing from the side.) Make sure you switch sides of the target at your body is facing the same directions as your dog is heading.

Lars working the set point exercise:

 

Ocean working the set point exercise:

Train 'Em Tutorials - How to videos! AKC Rally Start and Finish

Last week, we launched a new feature for Train 'Em Tasks. For the longest time, I had been kicking around an idea of tutorial videos to help people do dog stuff at home. I started to get questions about the how of dog training and dog sports...and I would try to explain via email or private FB messages how to do various things. The longer I do Train 'Em Tasks, I am learning that not everyone lives in an area like Southern New England where I have access to several dog training facilities within an hour's drive of Tasks HQ. Most people do not have regular access to instructors or training facilities and they are left to try to learn things on their own. Or others may not have the funds to attend classes. And others may have other reasons that classes may not work for them. Once I figured all of that out, I decided that the tutorial videos were something that we needed to do.

I videoed our first one last week and posted it on our Train 'Em Tasks YouTube Channel. I decided to start with AKC (American Kennel Club) Rally Obedience Novice because that is a popular dog sport and most dog and handler teams find it fun and doable at any skill level. I will also post the videos here with some written commentary as well as the actual exercise description featured in the videos.

I will say one thing...we did get one comment on our Facebook Tasks Page which I feel should be addressed due to possible viewer expectations. One person felt the first video was tedious to watch. In this video. Lars and I demonstrated and talked about the Start and Finish signs found on an AKC rally course. I also talked about basics of setting your dog up into heel position and how to correctly place your reward for your dog. . If someone is pretty experienced in obedience or rally...some of these videos might be too basic for them to watch. My target audience are people who are new to the sport/dog training but want to do rally and don't have access to intro to rally classes. If you have lots of dog training experience, some of the Train 'Em Tutorials are going to be rudimentary. But, with that being said, I still encourage people who are experienced to check them out. Just maybe, there could be something in the videos that you might find interesting or helpful. I'm in the camp of we can always learn something...I, by no means, know everything and I'm always looking for new info to help me become a better handler. :)





 Here are the actual exercise descriptions for start and finish:

Sign #1: Start: Indicates the beginning of the course. The dogs does not need to be sitting at the start.

Sign #2: Finish: Indicates the end of the course - timing stops.

The next video we'll do will be Sign #3 which is the Halt sign. We're going to try to do these twice a week if we're not too busy and weather allows. Like I mentioned on the video...if you have questions or problems or comments, please send them to me and the boys. We might do some troubleshooting and problem solving videos too based on questions, problems, or comments. I think this will be a fun project for Tasks and it will help put faces and personalities behind the Train 'Em Tasks products too.

Train 'Em Tasks in the classroom

When I started creating Train 'Em Tasks and its products, I assumed that they would be used by people training their dogs at home or by themselves. It wasn't long before task packs, prep packs and rally/BN sign packs were being purchased by professionals in dog training. I discovered then, that Train 'Em Tasks had a legitimate place inside dog training facilities.

One rally instructor had purchased the Train 'Em Tasks AKC Rally-O Prep Pack (which has sign images/descriptions, scoring and jump height regs) to use in her Intro to Rally Obedience class. With the beginning of each class, the instructor will pick out several of the cards in the prep pack and teach the differences between the similar signs. Or, she will choose a group of signs that require similar footwork and work on those that class. She uses the prep pack for herself to review signs when she's building a course. Then she carries around the prep pack while people are working on a rally course so she or students can read from the descriptions to clarify what each sign means when questioned about it in class.

Other trainers and facilities have purchased our full sized Rally Obedience and AKC Beginner Novice sign packs so they can offer run thru or drop in classes with courses for their customers. Another instructor uses both the full sized rally signs with the little rally task pack cards. They will pull several of the rally task cards so they get a random mix of rally exercises and then build their course from them. They don't get in a rut with using the same course maps over and over. 

Stranger approaching carrying an object at Rob Cary's

Rob Cary Pet Resort in San Antonio, Texas both uses Train 'Em Task products in their classes and also sells our training task packs and grab bags in their retail store! For their classes, they use the AKC rally packs, the WCR/APDT rally packs, AKC Beginner Novice pack, CGC pack, CGCA pack, and basic obedience manners task packs. Their instructor has the students pull the task cards at random and what exercises they pull from the bags are the exercises they work on for that class.
Rob Cary Pet Resort said it was a nice way to change up their classes. On occasion, they grouped some of the task cards together to create additional group challenges. For example, a dog and owner picked "Walking past distraction dogs." So, the other four dogs and owners did "PLAY" (with toys) - while the "Walking past distraction dogs" team worked on heeling around the dogs playing.  Their trainer notes each card drawn, then observes and offers critique and/or pointers to the students. 

Leave it! at Rob Cary Pet Resort

There have been trainers who specialize in private home settings for their clients and their dogs who have referred and/or purchased the task packs and grab bags. They find that the card packs make training on their own at home less intimidating and easier to get motivated since what they are going to work on is decided for them by the bag of cards. They have told me the bag of cards is fun for children who are involved with training their dog with their parents. Parents will let their kids pick the task cards and they stay involved with the training better. Breeders have also contacted me about using puppy training task packs as gifts for their new puppy owners. I know that isn't class room related but...hey, it will get the puppy and owner off on the right foot for training! :)

The Train 'Em Tasks in-boxes on Facebook, Etsy, and Gmail get questions on a regular basis from trainers all sorts of backgrounds. I've talked with 4-H level dog trainers, trainers who work with shelters and PTSD veterans who help train the dogs so they can be adopted out. With all of those trainers there is a place for Tasks products in their teaching environment. If Train 'Em Tasks is something that you would like to incorporate into your classes you teach or something that you would like to offer for retail sale to your customers, please feel free to contact me! I am more than happy to discuss wholesale orders with dog training facilities. I also do have a "professional trainer" coupon code on etsy. Just drop me a note and we can discuss that as well!