Clean Run - July 2017 - 34

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Training In
Black and
White
By Kathy Keats

Have you ever felt frustrated or
lost because your training hit a plateau you couldn't seem to get past?
I know I have.
You've asked question after question
and you keep getting the same answers.
You've busted your butt to follow the
advice but nothing seems to change.
Chances are you aren't training in black
and white. Many people have misconceptions about what training in "black
and white" means and, as a result, they
can't get the level of behavior they are
hoping for from their dog.
So let's clear up some of confusion so you
can take your training to the next level.
What does training in black
and white mean?
Training in black and white means you
are clear and consistent about what you
will accept and what you won't accept.
It's hard enough to be clear and consistent when you have time to think and
are asking for controlled behaviors such
as a stay at the start line. Being black
and white while running is much harder
because things move so fast. But dog
training is still dog training, whether it's
in agility, obedience, or herding. Top
performances come from fast, focused
execution. Not from training in the
"grey zone."
Winning runs combine obedience with
speed. Yes, obedience. Top-class agility
dogs obey cues and execute precision
behaviors while running at incredible
speeds. Many trainers think rules will
34

squash their dogs' drive and slow them
down. But that's wrong thinking. Being
wishy-washy does not build motivation
or drive to work.
Adapt your training appropriately to the
dog and the sport you are training for, but
the more black and white you make your
training, the faster your dog will learn.
Don't dig a big hole.
It's important to set up your agility
training so that your dog gets lots of rewards for being right. Multiple mistakes
slow down your training. Even though
those mistakes aren't "technically" getting reinforced by a cookie or a toy,
they are still building inappropriate neural pathways (habits) and being paired
with your cues. You're digging yourself
a hole that you must climb out of later.
There's a fine line between letting a dog
figure out a behavior through choices
and building a bad habit that will bite
you later. For example, if you ask your
puppy to "sit," and he wanders off, do
you say "oh well, good buddy"? Probably not. And I know you wouldn't let
him do it 10 times in a row.
Yet I constantly see people ask a dog to
repeat an agility behavior incorrectly 10
or more times and then give up and reset the drill. Meanwhile, the poor dog is
left wondering what the heck just happened, with no more clarity than when
he started.
Each dog is different. You need to be
clear, but you need to set up black and
white criteria for your individual dog's
age and personality. Black and white for

a puppy differs from black and white
for an experienced adult. Not more grey,
just different.
So, where does that leave us? How can
you be more black and white?
Treat all behaviors like a
start-line stay.
Start by thinking about all behaviors the
same as a start-line stay.
The basic truth in training is you will
not only get what you reinforce, but
you will also get what you tolerate. This
makes sense with start lines. You can
reinforce a stay at the start line a million
times and be consistent with your release and yet some dogs will still break.
The problem is letting him know the
choice was wrong as he makes it. Sure,
he might stay if you take him back to
the start and lead out again, but now it's
just a chain of behaviors:
1. Break the first start as a test.
2. Hold the second start because today
my handler is enforcing start lines.
3. Repeat
You will forever have a dog that breaks
his first stay because the timing of the
consequence is so grey. He doesn't understand that the choice to break the first
stay is wrong.
But at least it's easier to be black and
white with a start line. You have a clear
vision of what you are looking for-and
time to look for it. The same principles
apply to the collection cue. The trouble
is collection is harder to see and react to
Clean Run | July 17
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