Zumi's Training Update
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Thursday, July 16, 2015
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agility
,
obedience
,
running contacts
,
zumi
Started Zumi's first several sessions of channel weave poles this month. Going to be taking it slow and no real weaving action for several more months yet. But in the meantime we will work entries and independence. Zumi is excited about any learning that involves running full speed! The girl certainly has no issues with driving ahead towards the reward line.
Running dogwalk training kinda resumes. I did some experimentation with reward throwing time and pre placing the reward and didn't find much to go on. Zumi has learned not to put her cape on and fly but it still boils down to having no clue that she is to adjust her stride to aim for the end of the board yet. So I might go back to the board completely flat, and actually use 2 boards on the ground and just see if I can get that concept in. I didn't have any criteria when we are on the flat stage previously other than no leaping. Mainly assuming that she would get it as we went through jackpot training the best hits and using starting placement to help her out. But it hasn't happened. But I decided in the meantime I'll also go back to grafting the plank onto a full dogwalk and work on raising the height. Zumi has done extremely well with that setup, it was just adding in the speed of the full dogwalk that she couldn't get.
Scent article training has been dying down. Losing commitment, on my end. Zumi is at the point where I'm having a mixed article pile with me sitting in front of the pile. Accuracy is fairly high and only rarely does she get grabby now.
Obedience fronts are coming along pretty well. Not sure that I'm sold on my experimentation, but I'm moving onto my next step. I've recently stopped allowing her to shove her face between my legs and have been locking up. We're getting some accuracy and surprisingly also fading the physical contact faster than I thought.
Trick training has resumed! Working on a few new tricks for the first time in several weeks if not months. Starting penguin, wrapping in a blanket, and clean up.
I never realized how hard it was to train contact obstacles until I started following your blog. Your blog is definitely one of the more educational ones that I follow. :) Keep up the great work!
Only running contacts :) A stopped contact can still be difficult to train if you want as much speed and independence as possible, but still less work. But stopped contacts need maintenance and running contacts, once trained, tend to get better with time.
That's interesting!! Apparently a big difference, but sounds like the running contacts are worth it in the long run. :) You will get it with her. Keep up the good work!