RFE practice (92)

This is our last Thursday practice. I hope the freestyle class is all the hype.

Freeshaping backward weaves video - Gimme did three bottles at home, but we were clearly starting over here. I made up some "cones" from empty juice bottles, so Gimme won't hurt herself again. Though, I think taller cones helped her remember which side to be on. She was so distracted by the barking, I decided to change the setup back to what we started with to help her get started.

Distance send video - Gimme is well versed in this behavior and I only decided to do it because there was one "cone" out. It's one of the advanced behaviors we use in ADP parkour.

Center front pivot video - Just a quick practice of this in both directions. I was focused on getting Gimme to stick with me on the CCW pivot. She prefers to go fast and will turn it into an "otto" in a nanosecond. Of all the things I've tried, spitting treats to her works best, probably because she has to watch my face, so she can't get too far out of position. 
 
Platform work video - My goals are for Gimme to be comfortable standing still on the platform while facing away from me. So I'm gradually getting her accustomed to touching the target stick with me in different positions (farther and farther back). I'm also working on a duration touch of the target stick. This is the farthest back I've been able to get, so we are making steady progress. I absolutely must focus on feeding for position. When I changed sides, she offered "turn" several times, so we worked through it.

J'Anna's done as much as she wants in RallyFrEe, so she often is working on different things than I am. Last time and this time, she brought stuff for UKC nosework. Both of her girls, and now Gimme< are entered in Master Pre-Trial for the upcoming trial. Last time we got together she set it up to practice with Glory in a strange location. I was curious what Gimme would do with Myrrh, which she'd never smelled before and she aced it. So I went home and sent in my entry for a master pre-trial test. This time J'Anna set up both interior and exterior searches and then a pre-trial run through.

Interior 1 video - A big challenge here was for Gimme to get into her nosework brain, since we always work other things in this location. Note how her whole demeanor changes when she really smells odor. She does a good job for such a large space. I give her time to get near the distraction, which she basically ignores.

Exterior 1 video - She does a good job with this search. Gimme is more interested in the distraction this time and while she paws at it, she doesn't look at me, so it's not an indication.

Master Pre-trial run-through video - We ran through it three times. I'd only planned to do it twice, but Gimme learned a new trick, sticking her nose in the box until it gets stuck on her face and then flinging the box off. Always entertaining this girl of mine. So we did it a third time to see if she'd indicate in a more normal way.

Next Thursday is the Freestyle and RallyFrEe workshop and then we start Freestyle class the following week.