Clean Run Magazine - April 2009 - 49

Starting at 6 o’clock, stand in the same neutral position as in Step 1, with the dog on your right. As the dog passes through the poles, he will be making a correct entry (pole 1 on his left and pole 2 on his right). Mark and throw the reward toward 12 o’clock. Bring your dog back to your right side and repeat this a few times. Your dog should now be passing through the poles, making a correct entry, and looking for his reward to be thrown toward 12 o’clock. At this point, the dog should still be offering the poles, so you do not want to say Weave or Poles. Next you will work around the clock to teach your dog to hit an entry from any angle. At this stage, you are sending your dog to the poles, so you are not moving. Start 3'-5' from the poles at 6 o’clock, with the dog on your right. Have the dog at your side, either holding his collar or gently restraining him. The dog can also be in a stay at your side and you can use a release word. If your dog makes the correct entry, throw the reward toward 12 o’clock and then take one step to your left to 7 o’clock. If your dog misses the entry, stay at 6 o’clock for the next attempt. If it takes him more than one attempt to hit the entry, stay at 6 o’clock for a few repetitions before moving to your left to 7 o’clock. See Figure 6. When starting from 7 o’clock, you should again be 3'-5' from the poles with the dog on your right. If your dog hits the entry, reward and take another step to your left, so you are at 8 o’clock. If your dog misses the entry, stay at 7 o’clock for a few repetitions before moving to 8 o’clock. Repeat the process at 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, and 11 o’clock. each time the reward should be thrown toward 12 o’clock. You want your dog to understand from the very beginning how to hit challenging entries and that he should always enter with pole 1 on his left and pole 2 on his right. By moving your starting position each time the dog hits a correct entry, you are teaching the dog that your location is not relevant to his weaving; it’s his job to find the entry. Note: When you stand at each location on the clock, your shoulders should be facing the direction the dog needs to move toward to hit the correct entry. This is the same direction you would face if you were to move toward the entry with the dog. This way, the dog does not have to cut across your plane or veer away from you to hit the entry. After you finish working the clockwise arc of the poles (6 o’clock through 11 o’clock), go back to 6 o’clock with the dog on your left this time. Repeat the same process on the counterclockwise arc of the poles, which is 6 o’clock through 1 o’clock. See Figure 7. Once you have worked each position on both the clockwise and counterclockwise arcs, using food as a reward and then toys, progress to Step 4. 6 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 12 1 2 3 T Pole 1 Clockwise: Starting with the dog on your right about 3'-5' from pole 1, work from each location on the clock between 6 and 11 o'clock. Always throw rewards (first treats and then a toy) toward 12 o'clock. 7 11 10 9 8 12 1 2 T Pole 1 7 6 5 Counterclockwise: Starting with the dog on your left about 3'-5' from pole 1, work from each location on the clock between 6 and 1 o'clock. Always throw rewards (first treats and then a toy) toward 12 o'clock. During each step of the training process, you are going to be working your entries “around the clock.” Imagine that your poles are on a clock face. pole 1 is always at 6 o’clock and the last pole is always at 12 o’clock. The dog should always pass through with pole 1 on his left and pole 2 on his right. Step 4: Working the Clock with the Dog and Handler in Different Locations Until now, the dog has been sent to the poles while you are right next to him. Now you want to work on having the dog find the entry while you are in a different location. The dog is still starting 3'-5' from the poles. You still are not moving during this stage. 8 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 9 8 7 6 5 4 10 11 12 1 2 3 Figures 8 through 11 show the various locations I stand in during this stage of training. I generally stand in locations that do not require any additional handling because I am asking my dog to find entries independently of my location. If I have to add handling, then I am changing his focus from the poles to me; for example, I would not stand at 7 o’clock with my dog at 2 o’clock since this would require me to handle him so that he comes toward me and then turns away from me to find the entry. April 09 | Clean Run 49

Clean Run Magazine - April 2009

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