Clean Run Magazine - January 2008 - 44

Ideal Body Position Body position is also critical. I define two-on/two-off position as two front paws straight on the ground off the end of the board with two hind legs on the board and the dog’s weight transferred onto the rear end. Weight transfer to the rear assembly prevents stretching and losing control of the teeter board. Transferring weight also helps to lessen the impact on the shoulders and back when descending the A-frame and helps the dog to maintain contact with the dogwalk down ramp if he descends rapidly. As my dog drives into the two-on/two-off position, his focus should be straight and low. The ideal contact position Once the dog drives into the two-on/two-off position, he waits for my verbal release cue. When I give the release cue I may be standing still or I may be moving. Regardless, I want the dog to release only on a verbal cue. Therefore, I stagger the timing of my motion and the release cue—I never give the release cue with the start of any physical motion or action. If I am standing still, for example, I will either give the release cue and then start to move afterward; or I will start to move, and then once I am in motion, I will give the release cue. In addition, I isolate any arm cues or head turns either before or after my release cue. So, for example, if I am moving and need to raise my arm to indicate the next obstacle in sequence, I give the arm signal either before my verbal release or after it. I do not want to be raising my arm and giving my release cue simultaneously. How I Train the Contacts If I am training two-on/two-off contacts for all three contact obstacles, I teach the motion part of the teeter at the same time I teach the two-on/two-off position on a board. I do include a nose touch with the initial training of two-on/two-off. (Nose touches are always done between the front paws.) In training I support the nose touch as a secondary behavior to two-on/two-off to reinforce the dog’s head remaining straight and low. Without the nose touch there is a tendency to reinforce the dog’s looking at the handler, which can lead to the dog turning and exiting the board sideways. I do not ask for a nose touch in competition. I then backchain the dogwalk to completion before I start the dog on the A-frame. This keeps the amount of repetitive A-frame training to a minimum. The teeter training may be completed around the same time as the dogwalk as long as I don’t encounter any evidence of fear of the moving board. © CLEAN RUN © CLEAN RUN Note: This article is most concerned with two-on/two-off contact performance and improving the speed of the dogwalk and teeter. If, however, the A-frame is performed slowly while the dogwalk and teeter are executed with good speed, try adjusting your dog’s end position on the A-frame to make the position more comfortable. I have worked with some dogs that are reaching so far forward on the A-frame or have their rear feet so high up on the ramp that their backs are in a concave position. By teaching these dogs to bring their rear feet lower on the board, their weight is more evenly distributed from front to back and the spine is in a more relaxed position. If you cannot make your dog more comfortable in this position you may need to find an alternative contact behavior for this obstacle. I am not a fan of two-on/two-off for the A-frame although I do teach it, if I believe I have no alternative. A nose touch should be done between the dog’s front paws. The Release Just like a dog learning to stay in a sit position must know what gives him permission to release from that position, a dog that is expected to hold a two-on/two-off position on a contact must understand what releases him from that position. Understanding of the release cue is an integral part of my dogs’ contact behavior. 44 I use Touch as the cue for two-on/two-off. For some dogs the two-on/two-off position is implied with the dogwalk or teeter cue; however, I prefer to have both a cue for the obstacle and a cue for the contact position so that I can focus my training on the two-on/two-off behavior. Because of these separate cues, if I do not give the two-on/two-off cue, my dogs are unlikely to stop. Clean Run | January 08

Clean Run Magazine - January 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2008