Clean Run Magazine - August 2008 - 21

Leslie Renaud Early on in the development of my training skills, I felt that pulling a dog from the course for perceived behavior noncompliance was the correct approach. It was, after all, a form of correction. But in thinking about it more, I decided there is something fundamentally wrong with that approach. First and foremost, if I am willing to pull my dog off the course for perceived behavior noncompliance, I’m also willing to accept the fact that my dog knows the required behavior, in the prescribed environment, and is making a concerted effort to defy me. I don’t happen to believe dogs think that way, so how can I pull my dog off the course for perceived behavior noncompliance as a form of correction? I believe my dog will do what he will do in the prescribed environment because that is what I have taught him to do. I have taught him any number of behaviors through careful and thoughtful training, reinforcement, and proofing. l l l Leslie and her husband live with their four Shetland Sheepdogs in central Oregon. Actively involved in agility since 1999, she has been training dogs since she was 14. Leslie currently competes with her two older dogs; her youngest is busy growing up and learning agility. She gives seminars throughout the U.S. covering stress and motivation in the performance dog. Contact her at agileaction@crestviewcable.com. Is it true that some dogs will behave differently in a trial than in practice? Yes, of course, and there are some pretty significant reasons why: We don’t set the criteria consistently between a show and practice. We haven’t adequately reinforced the behaviors we want. We haven’t taken the time to help our dog become comfortable in a trial environment (stress can lead to the breakdown of criteria). We are nervous, or unprepared to enter the show environment, and our dog receives those signals, which manifest as performance stress. In every case, please notice the word “we,” meaning you and me. In none of the above scenarios can we say it’s the dog’s defiance that leads to the breakdown of the criteria. Why do I feel it’s not the dog’s fault? Well, when I used to subscribe to the “pull the dog off the course” theory, I got some results that were very telling. I might have fixed the issue of my dog leaping from the contact, but on the next run, my dog slowed way down on the descent. What did this tell me? It told me that my dog was unsure about what I wanted. Sure, he nailed it at home, and at speed, but in trials I hadn’t been consistent. He learned two different behaviors and I had schooled him well in where each of those behaviors should be offered. So, what’s the answer? More training of the correct behavior, more reinforcement of that behavior via increased reward frequency, more consistency in your requirements, and more proofing will all lead you where you want to go. If you feel you have done your work, take your show on the road. If the criteria break down, you should issue a correction to yourself for “testing” your dog too soon, and return home for more training, reinforcement, and proofing. l Lynne Stephens Judicious use of this strategy can certainly have a good effect. However, you are right to ensure that you are fully aware of all the possible consequences before using it with your dog. If you are not 100% sure about the following points, then taking your dog off course would certainly not be an effective or fair course of action and you would be wise to consider further training outside the ring first. • Your dog has been trained using positive reinforcement on all obstacles so that each obstacle has become a conditioned reinforcer. This means that he enjoys each obstacle enough that it might be considered a reward in itself. • Your dog is not relieved to be excused from the ring because he finds some aspects of running the course stressful. • Your dog thoroughly understands his job, so no matter where you are or what you are doing as a handler, his two-on/two-off performance will always be the same. August 08 | Clean Run Member of the British Agility World Cup team in 2003 and 2004, a finalist in most major British finals, USDAA Grand Prix semi-finals, and AKC National finals, Lynne now co-owns DogLogic Training in Statesville, North Carolina. Visit www.doglogictraining.com or contact her at info@doglogictraining.com. • You are prepared to be totally consistent in your handling of these situations both in and out of the competition ring. Your dog must be certain that if he assumes his two-on/two-off position he will always be rewarded (in a trial, by being allowed to continue taking obstacles), and if he does not, reinforcement will not be forthcoming. This takes some determination on your part, particularly if your dog has just performed a perfect running contact, but his criterion is two-on/two-off. • Your reaction to a slip in criteria will be instant (it is no good taking your dog out of the ring if he has already reinforced himself by taking the next obstacle). • Your dog has been exposed to extreme excitement (as close as you can manage to the real ring experience) in training situations. • You handle the contacts just as confidently in the ring as you do in training. Otherwise your dog will wonder why his handler is suddenly acting all weird and will likely forget his criteria while he worries about your strange behavior. • You will not present your dog with a completely different scenario in the ring than he has ever seen in training, so if you have not proofed the contact behavior at home with a particular maneuver, you won’t use that maneuver for the first time at a trial. Recognize that you will have to handle the course in a way your dog recognizes and take this scenario home as an area for further training. As you can see, the message here really is not complicated: remain consistent in your own behavior and expectations both in and out of the competition ring and your problems will be over! Like many things in agility and in life, however, though the answer is most certainly simple, who ever said it would be easy? D 21

http://www.doglogictraining.com

Clean Run Magazine - August 2008

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