Running A-Frame - 7

After I wrote my last post, I re-watched the "problem-solving" section of Rachel Sanders' DVD.  Belle and I are about a month into our re-training, and she is doing really well, but she still doesn't realize that I want her to come flying over the apex and hit once in the blue and then hit the yellow with all four paws.  She can do it if the box is there, but remove the box and the behavior chain breaks down and she will most likely jump from just above the yellow.

The solution for that particular problem is that the box must be faded, which is what I began to do in my last post.  However, giving the whole process further thought, I have to accept the fact that I began the whole re-training process with unrealistic expectations.  I was hoping Belle would have a consistent running A-frame contact with just one month's work.  I can see she is improving from week to week, but I also can see it will take at least another month or two of training for a running A-frame to become second nature to Belle.  Since that is the case, I decided, I would try one more time to train Belle to hit a little lower in the box before fading it.  Rachel addresses this issue by moving the box closer to the apex and then gradually moving it back until it is completely in the  contact zone.

So yesterday, I moved the box up the A-frame about 20".  I think 12" would have been a better choice, but hindsight is 20/20.  I also lowered the A-frame back to about 4'6".  By the time we finished our afternoon session, the top of the PVC box was about 5" above the yellow.

Running A-Frame - 6

It's been about a month since I began working on a running A-frame with Belle.  She is consistently hitting inside the box with all four feet.  I have been unable to get her to hit two or three inches lower in the box by using a stride regulator, so I decided to not use it for the time being.  Since Belle hits the yellow even when the A-frame is in the middle of a sequence, I decided to start fading the PVC box.  This morning I replaced the top pipe of the PVC box with two shorter lengths so that there is a gap in the middle.

I ran Belle once over the A-frame with a whole box, and then replaced it with the one with the gap at the top.  The first time, I had her do the A-frame from a sit stay and just sent her to a hoop afterward.  Since that worked, I started sequencing work.  Unfortunately, I didn't press the button hard enough with my gloved thumb, and the video camera wasn't running.  I'm pretty sure she got four feet in the yellow each time though.

I also had Belle run across the dogwalk once and it was beautiful.  I have decided to use "easy" as she approaches the down ramp to remind her to run through the yellow and not jump.  I realize this makes Belle's dogwalk not truly independent, but it is a vast improvement over her TOTO dogwalk.

I ran two more A-frames with Belle so I would have some video to analyze.  Here are our efforts.

Running A-Frame & Running Dogwalk - 5

Last night we went to the Quad Cities for Thursday night run-thrus.  I think this was the third or fourth time I had the opportunity to try out Belle's running A-frame on an A-frame that has slats.  I was discouraged last night because I didn't think she did all that well.  Luckily, Ed came along and videoed so I was able to study Belle's performance in slow motion.  

Before the run-thrus started, I was able to run Belle over the A-frame several times.  She actually did quite well with just the PVC box in place.  However, she did dismally with just the bumper because I placed it about four inches too low, forcing her to put in a stride before it and one or two after it before hitting the yellow.  (I guess if I wanted Belle to run down the A-frame instead of doing it in two jumping strides, I stumbled upon a good place to put the stride regulator.)

After the run-thrus, I tried again with just the stride regulator and she did quite well.  Unfortunately, my videographer was busy chatting, and there is no video.

During the run-thrus, I didn't use either the PVC box or the stride regulator.  Belle hit the yellow every time, but took  extra strides in the blue.  I also discovered that I have not been putting in enough effort on the running dogwalk.  After Belle leaped over the yellow three times, I had to place a hoop at the end to ensure that she would hit the yellow.


This morning, I set up a course that would allow us to practice both the A-frame and the dogwalk.  I placed a stride regulator on the A-frame and added a hoop about three feet out from the bottom.  I decided that if Belle would truly prefer to run down the A-frame, I was willing to go that route.  She surprised me with three perfect two-hits-on-the-down-side.  Unfortunately, the dogwalk was not nearly as good.  Hopefully, if I move the exit hoop closer the next time we practice, Belle will run through the yellow instead of jumping from it.

Reality Check - Running A-Frame Training - 4

After Thursday night's disappointing performance on the A-frame, I reviewed the "Case Studies" section of Rachel Sander's DVD.  As counter-intuitive as it seems to me, her recommendation for a dog who hits too high is to move the box up on the A-frame and then gradually move it down.  I decided to give that a go as soon as the A-frame is free of ice.  I also think I'll see if we can do without the stride regulator, since it will be an additional prop to fade.

Saturday, 12/17/11:  The weather didn't really clear enough to try out the course I set up on Friday.

Sunday, 12/18/11, morning:  There is hoar frost this morning, but I  went out to the field to see if the A-frame was clear of ice.  Since it wasn't slippery, I ran Belle across it a couple of times without the stride regulator.  Then I moved the PVC box up about 9 inches. And did a couple more passes.  She nailed it, so I raised the A-frame one link and move the box down a couple of inches.  Belle was still hitting squarely in the box, so I moved it down another couple of inches.  The top edge is now about four inches above the yellow.  This afternoon, we'll go out again and I'll set up the video camera.  If it warms up enough, we may even be able to use the dogwalk.

Sunday, 12/18/11, afternoon:  I videoed our efforts this afternoon.  After watching the video, I had to face the fact that Belle is not ready for the addition of a sequence before the A-frame.  She must first become consistent in where she hits after clearing the apex.  Included in Rachel Sanders' DVD are 13 pages of notes.  This paragraph in particular is one that I will have keep in mind when we are training:

Once the dog can successfully perform the A-frame with a front cross and a push past, you can do some minor sequencing FROM the A-frame to other obstacles. When the dog is successfully performing these sequences and you have raised the A-frame to full height, you can start sequencing TO the A-frame. Sequencing to the A-frame is more difficult for the dog because he must learn how to negotiate being off balance as he enters the A-frame and how to regain his
balance for the apex stride.