Clean Run - June 2017 - 16

Walk forward along the wall and come to a stop. As you stop,
cue a sit. You want a straight sit at your side here. Reward
your dog for the sit and then release him on a verbal cue
and continue walking forward. It is very important that as
you release your dog, you do not move. Give your release cue
with no motion, then as your dog breaks position, walk on.
Be sure to switch sides so that you practice with the dog on
your right and left side.
If you are struggling with your dog breaking position on a
verbal only cue, you can assist him with a bit of movement
forward and then fade that or you can try to use your release
cue in a more dynamic way. You may also need to go back
to basics using it in a recall or more dynamic situation.
Step 3
Move away from the wall and begin to proof your sit-stay.
You can begin to leave the wall if your dog is able to walk at
your side and sit straight. As your dog gets accustomed to
this drill you will not need to cue a sit every time you stop,
he will automatically sit when you stop.
Once my dog sits, he is in a sit-stay and needs to stay until I
give my verbal release cue. I do not use a "stay" or "wait" cue.
To proof the sit-stay, start simple and gradually progress
to more difficult proofing exercises. For example, after you
have stopped and the dog sits, lean forward and see if your
dog can maintain his stay. If he can, reward! Does he stay if
you pick up your foot? If he can, reward! Does he stay if you
walk forward? If he can, reward!
Once your dog understands the drill, walk with him and randomly switch between asking your dog for a sit and releasing him with a verbal only, and just walking off expecting
him to stay. If he stays, go back and reward him, give your
verbal release cue, and start walking again.
Be sure to switch sides so that you practice with the dog on
your right and left side. I don't use a stay cue at any time for this
behavior. Sit means sit, not sit then get up and move. You can

add a stay type of cue if you would like, but I would wait until
your dog is successful at the drill to minimize failure on the cue.
Step 4
Add the verbal cues.
Once your dog is proficient with his stay behavior you are
going to work on recalling him to a specific side.
I like to go back to the wall to begin this stage. With your
dog between you and the wall, walk forward, rewarding as
you go. Stop and have the dog sit. Walk away and then stop
and call the dog to your side. I do this by looking over my
shoulder, getting eye contact, using his release cue, and asking for a hand touch at my side, or by calling his name and
tapping my side.
When he reaches your side, reward and begin again. Once
you have repeated this a few times and know that when you
release him he understands to come to your side, use your
verbal release cue and add your new cue "side" for your right
side or "close" for your left.
Reinforce the cues with the wall as an aid for a bit and then
take it on the road, changing locations and then gradually
adding distractions and distance. Eventually I can just use
my side or close cue as my dog's release cue.
It goes without saying; you should keep these behaviors
well rewarded. Walking at your side, your sit, the stay, your
release, and your side and close cues. There is a ton of proofing you can do using these cues, and it will all help to build
behaviors that will be very important in your agility work.

Next Month
In the next couple of articles I will explain how to train the
other verbal cues I use around the course such as directionals, tight turn cues, go on, come front, independent obstacle
names, tunnel behaviors, etc. I will also explain how to bring
these behaviors to fluency and how to apply the skills I have
already discussed in this article to agility handling. D

Stacy Winkler has been teaching agility for over 15 years. She is located in Vista, California. For more information on the training concepts in this article and other training
articles you can visit her blog: https://stacywinklerblog.com. To learn about her Foundation, Connection and Drive, Jump and Contact Foundation online classes, inquire
about seminars, or contact Stacy directly, go to http://www.stacywinkler.com.
16

Clean Run | June 17

https://www.stacywinklerblog.com http://www.stacywinkler.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - June 2017