The past two nights I have been working on brick work with the boys. Katrin, Kathleen, and Lani all suggested the same way to teach a “get in” or pivot using positive reinforcement – brick work.
Here are two of the videos that were recommended to me and helped get me started (it is similar to the step-stool work I had done with Ike in the past):
Kikopup
Celeste Meade – Brick Work – Part 1
The boys and I are really enjoying this. What I am enjoying most is how differently they learn. And in Ike’s case, how free shaping literally seems to make him high. He becomes a whirling dervish of uncontainable happiness. It is HYSTERICAL! Heartwarming! A tremendous thing to see! Meanwhile Bug truly seems to need to sleep on things – I swear he processes over night – and makes a leap the next day.
The first night I think the book I used was too small. Both boys were eagerly touching it, but neither was standing on it with both paws. Last night I used a bigger book (The Gourmet Cookbook – yum) and both boys would place two paws on it and stay! Bug actually did a better job than Ike, but Ike got further along in that he began moving around the book. Let me say again, free shaping makes Ike MANIC!
With Ike I am also working on his spin (left) and turn (right). He loves spinning and will occasionally go right from a “spin” into a “turn” (in his EXUBERANCE!) thereby doing a speedy figure 8. I would LOVE to put this on cue, any thoughts on something east to call it? Maybe “Twist?”
With Bug I am trying to capture his heeling and put that on cue, working on “down, walk around your dog, return to heel position,” and the space game. The space game is something we did in Katrin’s Communications class where you have the dog move into your space and then you move into their space.
I am contemplating bringing Ike to the Addicted to Agility trial this weekend to run him through the practice weave poles and put him over a jump in that very stimulating and stressful environment. Maybe I will just bring him for a visit. It is the indoor trial venue and would be a whole new ball of wax for him. He is SO comfortable at Canine Mastery. I would love to see if I could build his confidence elsewhere so I could possibly bring him to seminars held someplace other than CM. NO TRIALING!
Here are two of the videos that were recommended to me and helped get me started (it is similar to the step-stool work I had done with Ike in the past):
Kikopup
Celeste Meade – Brick Work – Part 1
The boys and I are really enjoying this. What I am enjoying most is how differently they learn. And in Ike’s case, how free shaping literally seems to make him high. He becomes a whirling dervish of uncontainable happiness. It is HYSTERICAL! Heartwarming! A tremendous thing to see! Meanwhile Bug truly seems to need to sleep on things – I swear he processes over night – and makes a leap the next day.
The first night I think the book I used was too small. Both boys were eagerly touching it, but neither was standing on it with both paws. Last night I used a bigger book (The Gourmet Cookbook – yum) and both boys would place two paws on it and stay! Bug actually did a better job than Ike, but Ike got further along in that he began moving around the book. Let me say again, free shaping makes Ike MANIC!
With Ike I am also working on his spin (left) and turn (right). He loves spinning and will occasionally go right from a “spin” into a “turn” (in his EXUBERANCE!) thereby doing a speedy figure 8. I would LOVE to put this on cue, any thoughts on something east to call it? Maybe “Twist?”
With Bug I am trying to capture his heeling and put that on cue, working on “down, walk around your dog, return to heel position,” and the space game. The space game is something we did in Katrin’s Communications class where you have the dog move into your space and then you move into their space.
I am contemplating bringing Ike to the Addicted to Agility trial this weekend to run him through the practice weave poles and put him over a jump in that very stimulating and stressful environment. Maybe I will just bring him for a visit. It is the indoor trial venue and would be a whole new ball of wax for him. He is SO comfortable at Canine Mastery. I would love to see if I could build his confidence elsewhere so I could possibly bring him to seminars held someplace other than CM. NO TRIALING!
4 comments:
I love pivot work!
Let us know if you decide to bring Ike to that trial, and how it goes!
Oreos pivot is amazing thanks to perch work.
Plus, I think it is fun for them.
Good luck if you went to the trial, i love working with more then one dog and seeing how their little minds solve the puzzle of what we are doing! Love the perch work and those are both videos I had watched before we started perch work-it is too cool how many resources you can get from youtube these days ;-). Hope you are having a good weekend!!!
A couple of different trainers suggested to me that a round perch is easier for many dogs, especially the short legged ones. We use the bottom of a large clay flower pot. Just sharing what we have been told, since we jsut started ourselves.
Post a Comment