Video: 2-Toy Game, Tugging, Retrieving

Randy says:

I wanted to get back to you to say that we have had a vet check our dog Jem’s teeth and mouth. All is fine in that realm. In fact, the vet commented that her teeth are great. Also, we have an older, six-year-old sheltie. I can report that the jealousy over tugging has had some success–both ways. This is especially interesting because I had to teach the older sheltie to tug a year ago, so she’ll actually initiate tugging with me but not a whole lot. When it does happen, the younger sheltie casts a watchful eye and eventually tries to get involved. Meanwhile, the toy play with Jem before classes and practice have generated tugging that may be brief and just yesterday quite long and aggressive. The tugging wouldn’t continue on the practice field, so I’d go to the lotus ball. But the last two tug sessions ended curiously. Jem would stop tugging then, unprompted, offer our “middle-middle” position–sitting between my legs–which we use at start lines sometimes. She wouldn’t tug after this.

Randy says:

Yes, I do try to video almost all our training sessions—my one-person sessions and classes—although I haven’t been good, yet, at recording tugging before starting anything. But I did get the most recent three tugging sessions. We’ve had more than those three sessions so far. These are the only recorded ones so far.The first segment (2:07 mins.) was on Feb. 22. The second (1:40 min.) and third segments (1:00 min.) were both recorded on Feb. 29 at different times of the day. Those are total times for each session in parentheses. The third, or last segment, shows my wife tugging with Jem. My wife trains and competes with Jem in obedience and rally. I play agility. Jem chooses the same toy when presented with more than one. She seems to tug similarly with my wife and me.

Jem doesn’t take the “middle-middle” position at the end of any of these sessions, which I described in a previous post. However, when she’s with me, she’ll end the tugging session and walk over to our red wagon—at class or a training site—and sniff around because she knows that’s where to look for treats. I haven’t been able to keep her interested in the toy, once we hit the field. You asked if I tried a lotus ball on a tug, and I haven’t. Only used the lotus ball by itself, but I’ll work on getting that on a tug. For now, I must train Jem to bite down on the lotus ball with the hope, eventually, that she’ll retrieve it and bring it to me during training sessions—but that’s going to take a long time, given what I’ve seen so far. Right now, I throw the lotus ball and yell, “Get it!) She’ll touch the ball with her nose and/or paw and look for me to open it. Our older sheltie tears open the lotus ball and Jem has watched this happen. However, she hasn’t mimicked that behavior…yet.

I was intrigued to hear you mention “unintentional punishment” and/or “cause and effect” that may occur when we tug. I’m really interested to learn what to look out for, in that regard, in future sessions with Jem. Please take a look at the video. I’m eager to hear any feedback! Thanks very much!Yes, I do try to video almost all our training sessions—my one-person sessions and classes—although I haven’t been good, yet, at recording tugging before starting anything. But I did get the most recent three tugging sessions. We’ve had more than those three sessions so far; we’ve only recorded these so far.The first segment (2:07 mins.) was on Feb. 22. The second (1:40 min.) and third segments (1:00 min.) were both recorded on Feb. 29. Those are total times for each session in parentheses. The third, or last segment, shows my wife tugging with Jem. My wife trains and competes with Jem in obedience and rally. I play agility. Jem chooses the same toy when presented with more than one.

She doesn’t take the “middle-middle” position at the end of any of these sessions, which I described in a previous post. However, when she’s with me, she’ll end the tugging session and walk over to our red wagon—at class or the training site—and sniff around because she knows that’s where to look for treats. I haven’t been able to keep her interested in the toy, once we hit the field. You asked if I tried a lotus ball on a tug, and I haven’t. Only used the lotus ball by itself, but I’ll work on getting that on a tug. For now, I must train Jem to bite down on the lotus ball with the hope, eventually, that she’ll retrieve it and bring it to me during training sessions—but that’s going to take a long time, given what I’ve seen so far. Right now, I throw the lotus ball and yell, “Get it!) She’ll touch the ball with her nose and/or paw and look for me to open it. Our older sheltie tears open the lotus ball and Jem has watched this happen. However, she hasn’t mimicked that behavior…yet.

I was intrigued to hear you mention “unintentional punishment” and/or “cause and effect” that may occur when we tug. I’m really interested to learn what to look out for, in that regard, in future sessions with Jem. Please take a look at the video. I’m eager to hear any feedback! Thanks very much!

https://youtu.be/n1z4PYfhJCI

Randy says:

Just wanted to check in and update you on my quest to regain Jem’s enthusiasm for tugging. We’ve made good progress, but I can’t believe it’s been about a month since I’ve started on this current “campaign.” I’d say 90 percent of the time, I’m able to get great tugging going before a class or training session starts. The tugging can last long. Then, as you suggested, I go straight into agility from tugging, a release, and without pause go into a sequence. This has yielded great results in her sustained enthusiasm and motivation. The other 10 percent ranges from weak, or short tugging which suggests, to me, that she wants to go to food. But she’ll be very motivated and pumped if have to go to food early. I’ve also done more play in between exercises and drills and worked to make myself more interesting to Jem. I haven’t been able to make it through an entire training session without feeling a need to go to food. I have to work with the lotus ball a lot more in terms of using it as a food bowl and connecting a line to it. I slacked off doing all that because I’ve been I’ve been slowly trying to get Jem to fetch the lotus ball, but that has a long way to go. She will fetch a tennis ball and her favorite fuzzy toy. But the good news to me is her tugging is back. I’ve been also working to get her interested again in tugging when she wakes me in the morning. After three weeks, she started tugging just a bit in the bed. She does look at the tug toy with focused eyes, but doesn’t necessarily match that look with high-energy tugging.

Randy says:

It’s been about a month and a half of work to get Jem back into tugging, and we’ve had great success! I believe the tugging has been back in full force for two weeks or so. I’d like to ask if you have any tips or advice on how to sustain this behavior. My subscription with this class ends in about a month, I think, and I know the time will fly by quickly so I don’t want to forget to ask you this! The tugging is strong and enthusiastic and began with the pre-class/pre-training session tugging. I also got the tugging back when she wakes me in the morning. It helped to have a toy on my nightstand to present when she jumped into the bed. I’ve also been able to continue using the tug as a reward during training, but I still need to go back to food at some point in a session.

Another issue related to something I discussed in another thread (I think). I just started trialing with Jem. After two trials, which occurred in the same month, Jem has run off to visit the timer’s table (we run in open rings lined with bunting) four times during different events. She always returns but it may take a while. We still managed to Q and make standard course time. But I think it’s a combination of stress and my handling goofs–late turning cues, so she’ll either run off for a wrong course or head to a sideline. We thought she might be looking for mom, but that may not be the case because mom in two instances was present at the trial but nowhere near the ring. Prior to a final run one day, mom played tug with Jem who was connected and enthusiastic. This was at the end of a day when I had connection problems on three of four runs. The ensuing JWW run with me after tugging with mom went very well, but we stalled at one jump after I messed up with a late cue so we had a refusal and back jump. Otherwise, the run was quite good. Jem did not run away to the sideline. She just paused near the jump we needed to take. My question here is: Do you think the pre-run tugging with mom may have been helpful and assured Jem that “mom’s here so don’t worry and you don’t have to look for her.” When Jem does run off, we’re not sure if she’s really looking for mom or just looking to visit anyone.

Randy says:

Sarah, I know this has been a long thread that began purely as a question about regaining Jem’s tugging behavior, which nearly disappeared completely. This thread also delved into some side issues regarding running off the course to visit or search for mom. I’m really happy to tell you that your coaching has helped me recover Jem’s tugging. She’s asking to tug now in the house, she’s tugging fiercely with growling before training sessions, and she hop into bed in the morning and tug happily when I present a toy that I’ve kept on the nightstand. I think all of this behavior has helped to energize training sessions. I still can’t make it through an entire session or class using only tugging as a reward, but I can use tugging for maybe a third of the time. I’ve assimilated a lot of other tips you’ve given on this thread, and I thank you for that–especially the points you raised in your last entry, such as training with mom waving toys while we run a sequence and not calling off Jem from wrong courses. Most of all, I’m really working on and sharpening my handling as you advised. I’m having good success especially when cues are timed well–at or just before commitment. This has been a challenge because Jem’s speed has improved tremendously in practice over the past month or so. I have to see if this carries over to trials because she has not shown her true speed in that context. (I’ll be asking you more questions along these lines in the “Sarah Baker Bonus” section, “Planning Your Agility Debut.”) BTW, which facility did you run Skeptic in those early trials? In maybe six months to a year, I hope to make it to a future trial or two in the Northwest if our training continues to progress well. So, I’ve bee trying to learn about the different venues. Thanks for your help!