![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Experimentation: Why can't I have both?
Apr. 3rd, 2009 10:21 pmThe whole process of training a running contact (with Silvia Trkman's method) looks like such a fun challenge to me. I know I'll train running contacts with my next dog. The process is really what draws me to it, although obviously the end result is desirable as well. Running contacts with Panic never really crossed my mind, just because I didn't think I had the skills, patience or resources to train it, and with him I wanted that extra bit of control a stopped contact gave me (or the illusion of control it gives me).
Nevertheless I've been slaving over running contact information for months on end. I've read the "how-to" and FAQ on Silvia's website over and over and watched every video I could find of the process and end result. Yesterday I just thought, what the heck, and took Panic into the yard to experiment on a board raised a few inches off the ground. I had him run to his food bowl about 15 feet from the end. Gosh, he is a brilliant dog. Ran over the board perfectly time after time. He did stop a few times in his 2o/2o position, but I encouraged him to go on to the bowl and he did.
I did a couple of sessions with him and even raised the board up to about 6 inches. Today I did some more with him and it really started clicking. It's like he looked at me and said "Oh, you just want me to run across the board? I can do that!" It's so easy I can't believe it. Or maybe he's just a brilliant dog. I videoed one of his sessions so I could go back and review it. He has a really long stride so sometimes it's hard to tell what is a jump and what isn't, but I think I've been rewarding appropriately. Anyone with better running contact experience is encouraged to chime in...
Panic Running Contacts from Adrian Rowan on Vimeo.
Later on (which I didn't get filmed) I did some more with him. Just to see what would happen, I ran him over the board once and gave him his 2o/2o command. He stopped at the end of the board PERFECTLY just like I taught him. Next time I told him to run it (I just say "GO!") and he did without hesitation. Wowowow!
Now that got me thinking, why couldn't he have both a running contact and a stopped contact depending on the cue? I've never really seen anyone do that but I don't see why not. Both have their advantages on certain courses.
In another session later in the day I took away the food bowl and replaced it with a jump, rewarding with a low value toy (a ball for him). He was much less successful at this point, which I sort of expected. Toys get him so ramped up it's hard for him to think. Now that I've started this training I just going to keep going with it and see where it takes me. He's doing so well with it and progressing nicely!
Nevertheless I've been slaving over running contact information for months on end. I've read the "how-to" and FAQ on Silvia's website over and over and watched every video I could find of the process and end result. Yesterday I just thought, what the heck, and took Panic into the yard to experiment on a board raised a few inches off the ground. I had him run to his food bowl about 15 feet from the end. Gosh, he is a brilliant dog. Ran over the board perfectly time after time. He did stop a few times in his 2o/2o position, but I encouraged him to go on to the bowl and he did.
I did a couple of sessions with him and even raised the board up to about 6 inches. Today I did some more with him and it really started clicking. It's like he looked at me and said "Oh, you just want me to run across the board? I can do that!" It's so easy I can't believe it. Or maybe he's just a brilliant dog. I videoed one of his sessions so I could go back and review it. He has a really long stride so sometimes it's hard to tell what is a jump and what isn't, but I think I've been rewarding appropriately. Anyone with better running contact experience is encouraged to chime in...
Panic Running Contacts from Adrian Rowan on Vimeo.
Later on (which I didn't get filmed) I did some more with him. Just to see what would happen, I ran him over the board once and gave him his 2o/2o command. He stopped at the end of the board PERFECTLY just like I taught him. Next time I told him to run it (I just say "GO!") and he did without hesitation. Wowowow!
Now that got me thinking, why couldn't he have both a running contact and a stopped contact depending on the cue? I've never really seen anyone do that but I don't see why not. Both have their advantages on certain courses.
In another session later in the day I took away the food bowl and replaced it with a jump, rewarding with a low value toy (a ball for him). He was much less successful at this point, which I sort of expected. Toys get him so ramped up it's hard for him to think. Now that I've started this training I just going to keep going with it and see where it takes me. He's doing so well with it and progressing nicely!