Parkour (1/9)

Glad to have Jo back, she always gives us a better class. There was only one other student tonight, so it made it easier for Gimme. Of course this owner is not very careful, which is not so easy for me, since I have to watch out for her.  At least her dog is nice, mild mannered.

BTW you'll see Gimme gets distracted here and there. I learned there was a bitch in season in an earlier class. Gimme gets over it pretty quickly. 

"Thru" video - This was a simple "thru" exercise. Gimme didn't hesitate the first direction. I did have to encourage her a tiny bit for the second direction; she knew there was stuff on the other side she couldn't see. Jo also had us do a sequence, but there's no video because I had it zoomed in for the "thru" exercise. It's pretty much the same as this next video. 

Sequence 1 video - This was a fun sequence. The pivot on the bucket needed to be done in both directions. Gimme does CCW "pivot"  independently, but we are still working on CW "tivo". 

Free-shaping "tivo" video - We are working on Gimme's clockwise pivot, "tivo". I waited too long to start on it, so it's a challenge, since she has a huge success and reward history for doing it CCW. She was also more likely to get on with 4 feet with this larger diameter prop, especially toward the end of the session where she was getting frustrated. I used a little bit of movement to get her started. The suggestion on the MDSA workshop list was for me to toss her treats to my left, since she likes to be in front of me and this would encourage her to step in the right direction. Oddly, she wasn't as likely to center herself with this higher prop - I guess she sees things different when we are doing parkour. I saw she was tending to just do two steps and then stop. What I did learn from the workshop list was to watch the far back leg, since she moves it before moving the near leg. This was very helpful, but I really need a mirror to see it and respond with any timeliness. I thought Gimme did very well given I wasn't using a clicker, which improves my marker timing. The session was a bit too long - cutting 2 minutes would have been more effective.

I chose to end the session when the other student walked her dog right past us. I caught her in my peripheral view and was able to move away before she got too close. If I'd been thinking ahead, I would have set up to train with me facing the other direction, then I would have seen her much sooner. Lesson learned. 

Sequence 2 video - Most of the sequence wasn't hard, but this thing with weaving through the PVC ladder was. Gimme just didn't seem to understand what I was trying to get her to do. The first time I was able to lure her through it. The second time, we really struggled. It was like she didn't see the third space - she'd go right up to it and then turn to go into the space on either side of it. I'm going to start wearing my wristband clicker to class - I think I could have gotten this easier with it. Jo's suggestion worked well - to move her away, do something else and then come back to it. At the time I thought I might be crowding her off the third space, but it doesn't look like it on video. One thing you'll notice is, no matter how frustrating this must have been for her, her tail wags constantly. As I've always said, her tail is useless as a barometer of her emotional state. I do know a place nearby where we can train this on something really similar to the ladder. I'll have to remember to take my camera to video the session. Gimme also got a little stuck when I wanted "table" on the flat disc, she was just sure she should "pivot".

For the last session of class we were given the option to work on whatever we wanted. I wanted to go back to weaving through the ladder, but decided (after the other person moved on) to work on backing through the ladder instead. 

Cue discrimination video - The goal here was to get Gimme to listen to the cue and do the behavior I asked for. She had two choices, "jump" and "below". Of course, listening has never been her strong suit, so this is particularly challenging. She does seem to be picking it up toward the end. Part of the challenge may have been that we were so close to our cubicle and she wanted to go there - she gets peanut butter after every turn, so returning to the cubicle is high value. We need to work cue discrimination a lot more. 

Gap jump video - This video shows three separate turns. Jo increased the space between the props with each turn. She wanted to make sure the dogs stepped on each of the three props, so I encouraged Gimme to stop on each one for a treat. She did well. Watching this I do think I should have paid her for stopping on the planter too. 

Ladder back-up video - This is the final free-practice session. We worked on backing through the ladder. I don't need this behavior, but my thinking is this will prepare her for confidently backing up on an elevated prop. She does some really nice work toward the end. I love her willingness to try anything.

There was a lot of brain work in this class, so Gimme slept soundly most of the way home.

BTW we are working on our videos for ADP Level 4.  Today after urban tracking we went by Long Lake Park and I walked the park planning our behaviors.  Then we had a short training session to prepare Gimme for one of the things we'll need to do.  Afterwards we headed to our usual spot and walked two miles.  It was a busy day for the girlie.