Alright, so I think I deserve a bit of a "shoulda had a V8 moment" followed by a applaud of figuring something out.
Explanation: RDW with AMP has basically been a trial and error (mostly error) process. Try something-ernt! Something else- Ernt and another thing---maybe--then ernt! I have been trying to remain hopeful through the process that she will get it. Reading stories from fellow strugglers that survived and made it to that day when POOF dog has epiphany and the RDW works out. So we wait and wait and wait oh and did I mention we wait? Were still waiting slightly. So after running out of ideas I decided that Youtube has to be of some help. After watching a lot of videos on the whole process--warning some videos are scary-- and finding the helpful videos what I saw consistently was dogs haul ass across that dogwalk. Of course I had already known according to Silvia's teachings this was the foundation of the deal, but I am not sure I was actually embracing and following through. After pondering on the thought like Silvia says: Running = No leaping. Makes sense. A dog isn't physically capable of running and leaping- they take two different sets of actions to preform one or the other. Sure a dog can leap fast to make it appear as running, but really folks it is still leaping.
How did I apply this to AMP. I decided that I wasn't getting her moving fast enough. She had too much time to think about and complete the action of leaping. I was previously grafting the plank onto the dogwalk, which I think worked to further proof and reward her for staying on the plank all-the-way-down-the-board! Still though I would get a giant porpoise of a leap :/ pooey, who let her watch those things? In mind I could only think of one way to let her get more speed over the plank, by having plank on an object and her running to the plank and up and down. Cool that's a great idea except our track record on that idea is like 0/20 :( I shouldn't even say on because she wouldn't even go on the board before. Thinking it wouldn't work I decided I really had nothing to lose and hoped I would come out with something learned. To add I also put a jump out beyond the plank about 15 feet without a bar to give her something to drive to. So I set her up close making the obvious choice of taking them plank clear. Threw the toy out beyond the jump and let er' go! VOILA! She ran the plank and on top of them ran it like she was taught to run it :D :D Really there isn't enough smiley faces on the planet to express my excitement! Of course I am me and was skeptical that it would be a short term sweetness. Did a few more reps and still nice. Only had an issue when she started becoming wishy washy about whether she should stay by mom or drive to the toy (gotta love my velcro dog). We got through that and finished on a happy note.
I suppose your wandering where the title has anything to do with this. Well......the other day when I was doing this after a couple reps of her doing great...I said THE words... "Just one more" and I don't know if it causes a shift in the earth or what, but she took 3 more tries before she gave a me a good one after that, so now I will not use that phrase ;) Silly maybe? but it happens.
Along with this new RDW skill we have also figured out the A-frame. Maybe I should add we have figured out a safer way to preform it :) Lowered to about a little 3 feet, put a tunnel out front, and ran her up and over and most of the time she hits it like a champ. Still a couple moments of flying lucinda, but we will get with time :)
AMP will be making her debut in AKC this weekend and has another surprise that I will write about another day!
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