Another weave question...

**TracyJo** · 08-18-2008, 10:09 AM

I think Chi is progressing very well with the weave poles - She will readily weave as I walk past them and tell her "weave" at every pole. I know that we're not ready for any kind of speed yet but wanted to change it up just a bit this morning to keep it from getting boring. I want to reinforce the command "weave" - I guess I just want to make sure she's "getting it"...
This morning, after we went through a couple times the way we have been, I turned and faced her and walked backwards a pole length ahead of her and asked her to weave at each pole. Initially, there was some confusion, barking and bouncing but it didn't take her long to realize what I wanted.
It just seems to me this is the next logical step but want to check with all you experts before I go too far with it!
Should I keep with this OR should I forgoe this until we're working with a little bit of speed?

hrd2gt · 08-18-2008, 06:15 PM

I am not sure what your asking. But if your looking to get him to weave without telling him at every pole (gawd how annoying) I got tricks, and even secrets

i posted this on another thread, but it worked for karma, i need to get a sideview of her weaving

YouTube - Karmas Weave

**TracyJo** · 08-18-2008, 07:52 PM

I want her to associate the command "weave" alone with the action - not the command and me walking along side; or maybe it's better to say I don't want her to cue off my hands and legs as I walk along side with her - just the verbal command... I thought today actually that I have to stop telling her to weave at every pole - I can't imagine sprinting to the next obstacle making sure I get 12 "weaves" in a happy voice out!

In your video your miles ahead of her at a sit stay and then give the command - How do we work toward that?

Great video btw and one of the reasons that I was so excited to make the equipment as soon as we got back here to the US and I had space and materials

alwayshadpets · 08-18-2008, 08:42 PM

I`m no expert but I have never walked backwards towards Tamora. I have sent her from me being on both sides (her entering on the left) and from a diagonal. I try to get ahead of her to encourage speed and I have called her from the other end as well as a lot of other things.
I`m not sure I exactly understand the question.
I have a private Wed a.m. and I can ask my instructor. She was on a world team at one time and is very good. Just p.m. me if you want and I will try to find out for you.

hrd2gt · 08-18-2008, 10:01 PM

well dont walk backwards. its never going to happen really in a run... (unless its EXTREME agility

) is he food driven at all?? I used a dowel.. with a small nail on the end of it. Put a peice of stinky treat on the nail (make sure the nail is really in there!!) and use it to lead him correctly thru the weaves. It will take some coordination on your part to move the right speed to not go to fast or to slow. then when they get quicker, i would raise it higher.. and higher.. til i can just hold it over the weaves straight thru. eventually you just use a stick w/o a treat on it and have a treat in your hand... then just hand as they get weaned off. and dont do the weave dance. its apparently very hard to break that habit. I only say weave once at the beginning, as later on, i use it as reinforcment in case they decide to pop out or decide to forget what they are doing

Also, you may want to start with 6 poles to get their confidence up. my friend lent me her poles to start with and it worked out AWESOME!!! they were tubes the same thickness of the pvc, great for getting confidence up and having them BLOW thru... they learn the movement quickly.

I honestly got Karma to weave like this in a lil over a month. The breakthru was changing from treats to rope ball i throw. if she weaves correctly, i will throw it, if not, then she has to weave again. she works super hard for the ball!!!

below is a picture of the poles i told you about. if you can find the tubing awesome, if not the Flashpaws club sells the set for i think $65. Mind you, these poles are old, so they are bent, lol... i had to put dowels in the middle to make them stand straight. has done wonders tho!!

**TracyJo** · 08-19-2008, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrd2gt

well dont walk backwards. its never going to happen really in a run... (unless its EXTREME agility

) is he food driven at all?? I used a dowel.. with a small nail on the end of it. Put a peice of stinky treat on the nail (make sure the nail is really in there!!) and use it to lead him correctly thru the weaves. It will take some coordination on your part to move the right speed to not go to fast or to slow. then when they get quicker, i would raise it higher.. and higher.. til i can just hold it over the weaves straight thru. eventually you just use a stick w/o a treat on it and have a treat in your hand... then just hand as they get weaned off. and dont do the weave dance. its apparently very hard to break that habit. I only say weave once at the beginning, as later on, i use it as reinforcment in case they decide to pop out or decide to forget what they are doing

Also, you may want to start with 6 poles to get their confidence up. my friend lent me her poles to start with and it worked out AWESOME!!! they were tubes the same thickness of the pvc, great for getting confidence up and having them BLOW thru... they learn the movement quickly.

I honestly got Karma to weave like this in a lil over a month. The breakthru was changing from treats to rope ball i throw. if she weaves correctly, i will throw it, if not, then she has to weave again. she works super hard for the ball!!!

below is a picture of the poles i told you about. if you can find the tubing awesome, if not the Flashpaws club sells the set for i think $65. Mind you, these poles are old, so they are bent, lol... i had to put dowels in the middle to make them stand straight. has done wonders tho!!

Thank you so much!!!
She is trained to target the end of a stick that I got with a clicker one time - I think that will work in place of the dowel

No more backwards but you've got to admit that extreme agility sounds like fun :0)

Those poles look easy to make and I think I might be able to make it to where I can relatively easily move them to normal poles and then attach them to the set of 6 that I already have to make a set of 12 when we're ready for it.

The weave dance... I can see where that would be a hard habit to break - I start it on day 1 for 1 day and a 1 1/2 weeks later have to pay attention to myself to make sure I'm not doing it!! Definitely something I want to nip in the bud now! It's just so easy.

She LOVES her wubba - have tried to use it in place of the treat but she gets too excited when she sees it - It's fantastic for jumps! I think we have to get a little better and confident with the weave poles before we use it though...

Mostly I think I need to back up and relax - This is all new and fun for her and I want to keep it fun for her. She's catching on quickly but I don't want to blow it by expecting too much too soon...

Thank you both for all of your advice!!!!

alwayshadpets · 08-19-2008, 03:11 PM

I just wanted to add.
I was at a seminar recently and the person (Linda Koutsky) giving the seminar was asked, what was the best training method? Her answer was whatever worked. She actually quoted another great trainer. I think that was the best advice I ever heard.
I also wanted to add that my trainer does not spend a lot of time on the 6 pole weaves as you don`t use them that much.
I guess I didn`t get it at the time when she said that, because once you get your first title you move up to B and Open--No more A and no more 6 weave poles. Thats where we are at now B & Open, thats because we got our first title right away. It not at all like OB where you remain an A all the way up.
So Tracy start making more weave poles.

hrd2gt · 08-19-2008, 07:20 PM

I agree, i actually taught my italians on 14

but when your just learning them on these soft poles, it helps and they learn it FAST...and no sense buy all those tubes. After Karma mastered blowing thru the 6 (which was fast) i alternated them on a 12 pole... stiff soft stiff soft... then slowly took the soft ones out at different spots and put the stiff ones... But thats a lil down the road. (i was saving that for weave question 3)

practice practice practice. and maybe save the wubba for after the motion is totally learned.

Extreme agility would be funny, i actually curve the weave poles and my lil guys go thru them fine still, that is impressive i think on their part, lol!!

Anyways, all I can say is try it, I think it will make it easier for you. I am on my 4th dog, and a perfectionist... and lazy.. so in training Karma I am trying to put things together that work best and make sense and... that will require the least from me in the future.

That and i am really trying to proof from the type of things i see in common with dobies.. trying to train a better dobie agility dog than whats in my area. and we are doing pretty good so far