...that I am really crappy at updating this blog. :(
I am still videotaping every session, because I'm trying to keep track of his success percentage and whatnot, but it is just so time consuming to get them all online. :/ I may not upload them at this point. We've hit a lot of speedbumps, and I think that perhaps Strata and I are not the best "pet project" for the online agility community at this point. I will be going extra slow in the next couple of weeks as he is coming off of a knee injury (mild strain, nothing serious) and I want him to stay healthy.
So in short, I'm probably either just going to do a mass upload of all of the videos with no commentary or sound, or most likely just do a big 10-minute video when all is said and done.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
New Thoughts
I'm really getting back into the 2x2 training with Strata, and have been trying to do 1-2 sessions a day to get his poles all wrapped up in time for 'trial season' (which for me really starts in April).
You may have noticed that we ran into a pretty strong rut in sessions 17-21. After talking to my obedience instructor, she and I came up with some great suggestions as to how to make things "easier" without really making them easier, if you catch my drift. Not all of these are 100% true to Susan Garrett's DVD and workbook, but we feel they are going to work better for Strata. Here's what we came up with. By implementing these changes I have already gotten him PAST the angle where he was stuck for a week, which is pretty significant.
--Alternate the angle and don't always make it harder. I'm going to be playing with the poles more in each session, sometimes rotating them 2-3 times, occasionally to make it "harder", occasionally to make it "easier". My obedience instructor pointed out that if you ALWAYS make it harder, sometimes the dogs begin to give up or stress because they feel they are never really grasping the concept and making you totally happy. You will see this in sessions 26 and 27 (which have yet to be posted) and it seems to really be helping.
--When the poles get harder, let him enter in the "thin" slice of the arc the first couple of times. For those of you who don't have the workbook, this basically means an "easy"/straight-on approach to the poles. SG talks about constantly "working the arc" and providing the dog with hard entries to the poles, even in the early stages. I agree with this and you can see me doing it all the time, BUT that's not to say it can't be easy the first couple of times.
--Shorten the sessions. The problem with this is that they never feel that long to me! I don't think I was "forcing" him to work too long, and after having a SUPER sensitive dog for ten years, I'm watching those signs of stress. But, I think it would be advantageous to do perhaps three 2-minute sessions instead of two six-minute sessions, and to provide him with fetch breaks to help him blow off a little steam. (This is Strata's favorite part of all of these new "rules"!)
--Improve my reward line. The reward line is like an invisible line that extends forever from the base of the poles. I'm well aware that my rewarding skills suck -- my clicker timing is solid, but I really cannot throw for crap. But, I've been trying my damndest to work on this and I think I'm improving! Fortunately, I am blessed by a dog that naturally wants to drive through the poles with his head pretty low, and he's not constantly looking for the toy. (Beginner's luck?) But, I know if I'm going to train using this method with another dog that I'll need to improve.
I appreciate all the comments so far, and encourage you all to keep replying! I'm more than willing to answer questions or further explain something if you don't "get it".
You may have noticed that we ran into a pretty strong rut in sessions 17-21. After talking to my obedience instructor, she and I came up with some great suggestions as to how to make things "easier" without really making them easier, if you catch my drift. Not all of these are 100% true to Susan Garrett's DVD and workbook, but we feel they are going to work better for Strata. Here's what we came up with. By implementing these changes I have already gotten him PAST the angle where he was stuck for a week, which is pretty significant.
--Alternate the angle and don't always make it harder. I'm going to be playing with the poles more in each session, sometimes rotating them 2-3 times, occasionally to make it "harder", occasionally to make it "easier". My obedience instructor pointed out that if you ALWAYS make it harder, sometimes the dogs begin to give up or stress because they feel they are never really grasping the concept and making you totally happy. You will see this in sessions 26 and 27 (which have yet to be posted) and it seems to really be helping.
--When the poles get harder, let him enter in the "thin" slice of the arc the first couple of times. For those of you who don't have the workbook, this basically means an "easy"/straight-on approach to the poles. SG talks about constantly "working the arc" and providing the dog with hard entries to the poles, even in the early stages. I agree with this and you can see me doing it all the time, BUT that's not to say it can't be easy the first couple of times.
--Shorten the sessions. The problem with this is that they never feel that long to me! I don't think I was "forcing" him to work too long, and after having a SUPER sensitive dog for ten years, I'm watching those signs of stress. But, I think it would be advantageous to do perhaps three 2-minute sessions instead of two six-minute sessions, and to provide him with fetch breaks to help him blow off a little steam. (This is Strata's favorite part of all of these new "rules"!)
--Improve my reward line. The reward line is like an invisible line that extends forever from the base of the poles. I'm well aware that my rewarding skills suck -- my clicker timing is solid, but I really cannot throw for crap. But, I've been trying my damndest to work on this and I think I'm improving! Fortunately, I am blessed by a dog that naturally wants to drive through the poles with his head pretty low, and he's not constantly looking for the toy. (Beginner's luck?) But, I know if I'm going to train using this method with another dog that I'll need to improve.
I appreciate all the comments so far, and encourage you all to keep replying! I'm more than willing to answer questions or further explain something if you don't "get it".
Session 27
NOTES:
--Way better than the earlier session!
--Noticed him digging in at the first pole -- nice to see.
--84% success rate.
Song: "Letters From The Ambulance" -- The Fashion
Session 26
NOTES:
--I'm seeing trouble when I speed up.
--He was doing just fine until I increased the angle.
--66% success rate.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Session 24 & 25
NOTES:
--This was on YouTube for awhile, but I forgot to post it here! (I was wondering why the view count was so pitiful!)
--Not 100% sure on the date for this one. :x
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Session 23
NOTES:
--Dropped slightly to a 68% success rate, but he made more attempts in this session than last session.
Session 22
NOTES:
--77% success rate!
--You can see I significantly opened up the poles to go "back to basics" for him.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
More Coming Soon!
All factors for 2x2s (weather, injuries, footing, daylight) have significantly improved, and I've got 6 sessions that I'm in the process of editing! They should be up within 48 hours or so. :)
Bad news is that it looks like there's more snow on the way... but at least we managed to squeeze in 6 sessions over the last 3 days. :)
Bad news is that it looks like there's more snow on the way... but at least we managed to squeeze in 6 sessions over the last 3 days. :)
Sessions 19 & 20
NOTES:
--Session 19 had a 58% success rate but was extremely short (2:14 of working time and only 12 responses).
--Session 20 had a 25% success rate, which is still an improvement.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Session 17
NOTES:
--16% success rate, so if this is hard to watch, that's why. This is his lowest success rate ever.
--The only cut-out part in the video is when we took a potty break. He'd been pottied before the session but his stomach wasn't 100% that day and I had a feeling some of the stress behaviors might've been due to that.
--There was a lot going on in the background that didn't help the session. There was a dog barking far off in the distance that he'd never heard before. He can handle a dog barking in his face or barking in the same training center as him, but not a dog barking 300' away. Go figure. We also had a near-accident on the street behind us with a huge truck. (Brakes screeching, truck honking, etc.) A little too distracting for a learning session, I think.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Still Alive
...but we still haven't been training.
Sorry, folks. It's been snow, snow, and more snow and I just do not have the room indoors to do this sort of training properly. Keep checking back, because when this fluffy white stuff finally melts, we'll be wrapping up those poles! :)
Sorry, folks. It's been snow, snow, and more snow and I just do not have the room indoors to do this sort of training properly. Keep checking back, because when this fluffy white stuff finally melts, we'll be wrapping up those poles! :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thoughts on 2x2s
Diane asked in the "Comments" session what my thoughts were so far on 2x2s. Also, there has been some discussion on various LiveJournal agility blogs about the pros and cons of the method. I thought I would address them here.
Overall, I am EXTREMELY happy with the 2x2 method. I cannot imagine using any other method to teach a dog -- any dog -- weaves in the future. It is easy. It is equipment-minimal. The beginning stages are small-space friendly. The whole method is small-yard friendly. There is nothing to fade. The dog learns that weaving is this super awesome game that s/he plays with momma and "oh boy, I can't wait to go weave!!!"
I fully intend to retrain Tessie's weave poles using this method, starting this week. (We have a trial this weekend, and I didn't want to confuse her or let her think 2 poles was acceptable for the time being.) She is 10 years old, been doing agility since she was 4, and I hate retraining anything on her because time may be short and I don't like causing confusion. HOWEVER, there's nothing confusing about this method!
Now I'd like to address some of the concerns I've read about...
"It's not non-Border-Collie friendly!"
I strongly disagree. Here's a Kelpie learning the method, an English Cocker Spaniel trained with the method, a sporting-type dog (pointer of some sort?) as a demo dog in the beginning stages, a Coton de Tulear in her fourth session, and a Portugese Water Dog workin' on them, too. Of course, Strata is a Sheltie, so he counts, because Shelties are definitely NOT mini BCs. I'd also like to point out the YouTube videos that Susan Garrett put up herself, such as this one from her Contacts & Weaves Camp and this one that was a promo for the DVD including a couple of Labs, a Giant Schnauzer, and an unknown mini dog (Pap?).
"I don't like my dog failing that much."
If your dog is exceeding the 80% fail rate you DO need to make it easier. Note "easier" does not mean changing positions. "Easier" means that you go back to the 2-pole stage and work a little more there. I did not need to do this with Strata, but I am sure I may need to use it in the future on another dog. Alternatively, you can see in some videos that Strata gets "overexcited" at running in circles and I take him by the collar and lead him to *the spot where I was standing*, wait for him to focus on the poles, and release him. Sometimes it is not a matter of understanding, just a matter of getting super hyped-up by all the running and tugging.
People often cite the "3 strikes, you're out" rule, which is fine for trained behaviors and handling manuevers (I use this all the time). For example, if you are free shaping a dog to back up and he decides to start offering nose touches, do you reward that? No. You wait for the dog to offer something resembling backing up, even if it's just a paw movement or weight shift, and reward that and then move from there. You might decrease your criteria a smidge for a few repetitions, then proceed to where you were before. But I don't care if my dog offers 500 nose touches -- we're working on backing up!
If you are worried about a dog shutting down due to "failure", you need to free shape more behaviors. A couple of blog-followers have asked me about this and I suggest you have free-shaped (NOT lured, NOT captured) a minimum of 5 behaviors before attempting the 2x2 training. Some easy examples to get you started: limping, the dog wipes its face with its paw, backing up, lowering its head ("are you sad?"), lifting a rear leg, a 2o/2o behavior on stairs (even if it's not your desired contact behavior).
"You have to use a NRM."
I haven't watched the DVD, so I cannot say for sure that she does not REQUIRE you to use a NRM, but I don't think that's the case. I do not use a NRM with my dogs any longer (it wreaked havoc on poor Tessie) and I can tell you that you do not have to use one to succeed. I know that in the ebook, it is suggested that you might want to use one, but it is not forced upon you. Also, I believe the NRM is for the end stages of the behavior, i.e. the dog is weaving a 6 pole set but starts trying to enter with the first pole on the right, for example. I would never use a NRM in the shaping stage.
"It only works for toy-motivated dogs."
The ebook talks about when/where to use cookies. If you really have a dog with no toy drive you could use a Manners Minder, throw extremely large/visible cookies (freeze dried chicken hunks work well on most footing), or try a bait bag or food tube instead. Tessie is completely NOT toy motivated at all, so when I retrain her I will be able to speak on this topic with a tiny bit more authority.
If you have any more questions or would like me to elaborate, please do not hesitate to ask! I enjoy reading the responses from all of you, even if it's just "Keep up the good work!" or "Your dog is sooo cute!" Positive reinforcement works for bloggers, too. ;)
Overall, I am EXTREMELY happy with the 2x2 method. I cannot imagine using any other method to teach a dog -- any dog -- weaves in the future. It is easy. It is equipment-minimal. The beginning stages are small-space friendly. The whole method is small-yard friendly. There is nothing to fade. The dog learns that weaving is this super awesome game that s/he plays with momma and "oh boy, I can't wait to go weave!!!"
I fully intend to retrain Tessie's weave poles using this method, starting this week. (We have a trial this weekend, and I didn't want to confuse her or let her think 2 poles was acceptable for the time being.) She is 10 years old, been doing agility since she was 4, and I hate retraining anything on her because time may be short and I don't like causing confusion. HOWEVER, there's nothing confusing about this method!
Now I'd like to address some of the concerns I've read about...
"It's not non-Border-Collie friendly!"
I strongly disagree. Here's a Kelpie learning the method, an English Cocker Spaniel trained with the method, a sporting-type dog (pointer of some sort?) as a demo dog in the beginning stages, a Coton de Tulear in her fourth session, and a Portugese Water Dog workin' on them, too. Of course, Strata is a Sheltie, so he counts, because Shelties are definitely NOT mini BCs. I'd also like to point out the YouTube videos that Susan Garrett put up herself, such as this one from her Contacts & Weaves Camp and this one that was a promo for the DVD including a couple of Labs, a Giant Schnauzer, and an unknown mini dog (Pap?).
"I don't like my dog failing that much."
If your dog is exceeding the 80% fail rate you DO need to make it easier. Note "easier" does not mean changing positions. "Easier" means that you go back to the 2-pole stage and work a little more there. I did not need to do this with Strata, but I am sure I may need to use it in the future on another dog. Alternatively, you can see in some videos that Strata gets "overexcited" at running in circles and I take him by the collar and lead him to *the spot where I was standing*, wait for him to focus on the poles, and release him. Sometimes it is not a matter of understanding, just a matter of getting super hyped-up by all the running and tugging.
People often cite the "3 strikes, you're out" rule, which is fine for trained behaviors and handling manuevers (I use this all the time). For example, if you are free shaping a dog to back up and he decides to start offering nose touches, do you reward that? No. You wait for the dog to offer something resembling backing up, even if it's just a paw movement or weight shift, and reward that and then move from there. You might decrease your criteria a smidge for a few repetitions, then proceed to where you were before. But I don't care if my dog offers 500 nose touches -- we're working on backing up!
If you are worried about a dog shutting down due to "failure", you need to free shape more behaviors. A couple of blog-followers have asked me about this and I suggest you have free-shaped (NOT lured, NOT captured) a minimum of 5 behaviors before attempting the 2x2 training. Some easy examples to get you started: limping, the dog wipes its face with its paw, backing up, lowering its head ("are you sad?"), lifting a rear leg, a 2o/2o behavior on stairs (even if it's not your desired contact behavior).
"You have to use a NRM."
I haven't watched the DVD, so I cannot say for sure that she does not REQUIRE you to use a NRM, but I don't think that's the case. I do not use a NRM with my dogs any longer (it wreaked havoc on poor Tessie) and I can tell you that you do not have to use one to succeed. I know that in the ebook, it is suggested that you might want to use one, but it is not forced upon you. Also, I believe the NRM is for the end stages of the behavior, i.e. the dog is weaving a 6 pole set but starts trying to enter with the first pole on the right, for example. I would never use a NRM in the shaping stage.
"It only works for toy-motivated dogs."
The ebook talks about when/where to use cookies. If you really have a dog with no toy drive you could use a Manners Minder, throw extremely large/visible cookies (freeze dried chicken hunks work well on most footing), or try a bait bag or food tube instead. Tessie is completely NOT toy motivated at all, so when I retrain her I will be able to speak on this topic with a tiny bit more authority.
If you have any more questions or would like me to elaborate, please do not hesitate to ask! I enjoy reading the responses from all of you, even if it's just "Keep up the good work!" or "Your dog is sooo cute!" Positive reinforcement works for bloggers, too. ;)
Session 15
Notes:
--Gotta close up the angles a lot faster and get him on a straight set of poles with 2-3' of space between the sets.
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