Toys, Toys, Toys - Agility Training Update

Sept. 12, Training Update...Can you believe it's already the 12th of September?

Toys
The over-riding elements in all of Bungee's agility training right now, be it as reinforcers or challenges, are toys. Toys have tremendous value to her. So rather than use toys less, since she has to work hard to be correct in the presence of certain toys, we leave the toys where they are and let her work through the distractions and challenges until she can be correct, even if it means breaking down the work, enlisting the aid of a coach or friend to help, and adding a lot of screw-up cookies to keep her motivated that she can still win this new version of our training game. Bungee has always had to work through toy distractions, but they are proving to be big challenges in contacts and handling, which is great information!

Most of the time we set up a small sequence to be run one of several ways so that we can put the pressure on, then let the pressure off. This also helps keep Bungee in the game and highly successful despite the increased difficulty of the work.

The circle work we did has created incredible responsiveness in Bungee. I have been amazed since the beginning of her sequence work at the obvious result. Her understanding of Greg's system is already phenomenal with what part of it she has been exposed to since we started working small sequences. We know she understands her Reinforcement Zone (RZ), and thus my Blind Cross Body Line (BCBL), we know she understands a Front Cross, we know she understands deceleration. So, the challenges we create with toys are fair challenges.

The reason we know these toys create big challenges is by pushing the envelope and putting the most desirable toys exactly where they will be potential stumbling blocks. Embracing the weaknesses rather than avoiding them. That's exactly what you want in a training challenge - one where you've really accomplished something big when you work through it. How better to prepare the dog for the thrill of the competition field?

Bungee loves training agility, no matter what it is we are doing, but she loves her toys more. As Sarah said yesterday: "Right now toys are the most valuable thing to Bungee, but as you continue to train, eventually the jumps will have the same value to her as these toys." So, much to Sarah's credit, we use these toys to their full potential, not just as fabulous rewards, but as challenges to grow by.

Contacts
Nose touches are really nice now. Turning up the heat with toys, motion and/or distance. Putting teeter games back into the picture with nose touches. Still undecided on frame.

Weave Poles
Working 4 straight poles w/ 2 X 2's. Working 6 straight poles with 1/2 of a regular set of 12. 3 sets of 2 X 2's and 2 sets of 6 poles are set up in various places on our field now. So she's seeing a lot of poles! Her speed & desire for the poles is beyond adequate, but I am intentionally using food more than toys on 6 poles to develop 1-step footwork. Letting her race through as she would prefer, she switched to 2 paw pulling in a moment. Obviously needing to correct that immediately, we slowed her down to food rewards for correct footwork. Right now entry variations and correct footwork are the emphasis. Since I last posted at any length on poles Sarah helped us create proper bending at the 3rd pole so as to avoid popping it later on with fast, angled approaches in couses.

Jumping
Haven't done any big session of grids lately, we're definitely due. I keep a set point jump set up as a warm-up jump on my own field, and one grid at almost all times. I change the one grid I leave up frequently so she does see a variety. She has been introduced to my new double & spread jumps at competition height, in a very simple setting here at home. In small sequences at competition height she is keeping the bars up nicely, handling now being the critical component to that picture too.

Handling
We're working on small sequences, 3 - 6 pieces. Each little sequence is "handling heavy" with the emphasis on learning to read turning cues and various parts of Greg's system. FFW continues with Crate Games being particularly usefull.

Overall Work
Excellent! Bungee is an awesome dog to work with and very impressive to watch. That said, Bungee would probably tell you she's teaching me more than I'm teaching her and that's probably right!

Happy Training...It's About Love!