So...not that I analyze or think about dogtraining much..HA HA!!!! But have had recent conversations with others about our agility contact behaviors..and of course me the ever Grand-puppy mama, giving suggestions to the poor, unsuspecting....so, some excerpts of emails, my own musings on the subject as I plan for the red girls and Scream!'s future and just because I always have a lot to say...
The weather is so yucky, wish I could do some baby plank stuff with Scream!, like I have done with last few younguns' imprints them early, so they have no fear later. May just bring a plank upstairs into the living room...ha ha, the sign of a really crazy agility person!!!! Of course, then if I post public video will get chastised by a cranky Brit again...oh well. There is always unlisted, ha ha...
So contacts.....The baby baby stuff I did with Ggrail of lie down on the mat as one of the first behaviors I taught her, is obviously quite strong in her default memory. All of the "training" was done on the flat at first and as a game, away from equipment for a 4onthefloor, liedown "Hit Yer Mat" behavior.
After screwing up her stopped contacts by putting my body language into it, too much-and slowing her so much by putting the mat onto the end of the board, rather than on the ground-I rebuilt her speed, by doing pure running for over six months now. She was thinking too much about the stop, not driving/getting to the stop-classic you have seen dogs sightseeing or creeping...I never want that!!!
I feel like her speed is such, that she is really accelerating and driving down the plank, She "owns" the board-which is what we want, no hesitation. So, have been contemplating how to add her stop. Over the however many few times we played the Hit Yer Mat game-sending to, my running past, crossing in front of while they hold position, running with close and laterally peeling off, -etc anything you might do on a real contact.
It is not something we have trained, over and over. In class the other night, had a quick conversation about it, put the mat out there, took off the hoop which she knows means OK to run, one rep to mat....and voila...a beautiful fast DW & frame, into quick liedown on the ground.
Normally, I would probably backchain it more, but she paired it so quickly, because she is just pretty smart!!! If as we start to compete (need to work on many reps and fade the mat first) I am pushing for speed, etc I can start to release her quicker and quicker and so becomes a modified running contact, but gives her the destination of low body, rather than high-which she tends to be. The 4onthefloor allows them to run wood at full speed and adjust their bodies to stop, but without the jamming of shoulders/back into a 2on2off. So, just a thought for the pup and making his contacts independent of you.
For now, just glad that Ggrail came up with a good stopped contacts plan, for us! Dog shows handler!! :) Will have to see how it goes in training and fading mat, great thing about training, it is organic and ever-changing.....so no need to say "has to be this way" if it doesn't hold up or work, we will move on to Plan B.
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Found the original Clean Run article online, for teaching the liedown or 4onthefloor. Think there is another follow-up, on Ann Croft's website-who deserves recognition for developing this method, originally..
This is what I was telling you about with Ggrail. One of the first things I taught her as a tiny pup, was the liedown on the mat and starting this with Mr Scream! Reviewing with the red ones, as my plan for them will be the same as Ggrail-lots of running wood and eventually intro'ing stop, because as much as I would love to have pure running, know that I need to be able to pull out the stop and have no wannabe aspirations, other than to do right by my dogs, on course. Have not done Hit Yer Mat with the red ones for many months, pulled it out yesterday-still a very strong behavior! Very high rate of reinforcement, like a Pez dispenser, helps!
With Ggrail, I have worked running wood fast, but wanted to add her stop. So, I decided to try it, the other night in class, paired the mat with her running-my cue is "Hit it". One backchained rep, seemed like she had always done. No hesitation, knew exactly what her destination/criteria was, etc.
By having the mat close enough (usually half a stride or body length) so that is creates a dip into position, but not on the wood-gives the dog permission to run full tilt and adjust to get into position-without slamming on the brakes. By having the contact position occur off of the wood-I see two things-first no creeping or slowing down on descent trying to figure out what is expected for end behavior and secondly, much nicer to their bodies-especially super fast dogs, like he will be.
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Teaching the mat and working it, as you would a contact board-especially getting them to move ahead of you into position, after you have created duration by heavily rewarding position on the mat. I do all the clockface rewarding, crosses, etc with them still in position, on the mat.
I also use going over a jump to encourage collection into finding their position on the mat-much like they will need to if running full speed on wood, to adjust their bodies safely, to stop. I move the mat around on landing and also send location, so truly helps with independence in their finding the mat-regardless of handler position. Adding a tunnel before the jump also introduces speed, with collection over jump, to Hit Yer Mat position!
When first teaching mat behavior I do use guides to run through or help keep straight usually if playing Hit Yer Mat indoors, but Ann's visual of crossed poles is good-hard to setup inside though. Guides help for them to get into straighter body position-two chairs or something even non-agility like gallon jugs can be used to go through, to reduce curving back to you-want straight head/body, like the 2 x 2's. With any extra props like "guides", fading quickly is a good idea.
On the flat, away from equipment I practice a lot of letting them drive ahead as you move past and doing all your proofing and reps, while the "stick" in position, with a clear verbal release (NO Body language). OK is as much a behavior I train, as duration!!!!!!!
By the time you add the mat behavior, to the end of wood-it is a thing of beauty! Moving mat around to figure out how to let them run the wood full speed and safely get into position, usually the mat is not too far from end of contact, as that causes leaping. But, fun and really easy to teach. Fading the mat, not so hard.
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