Clean Run Magazine - November 2008 - 66

Building Enthusiasm Now that the dog has learned the basic behavior, it is time to add enthusiasm to the mix. The key to enthusiasm is a high rate of reward. You want to pack as many repetitions as possible into each session, but keep the sessions very short. Several 30-second sessions will produce better results than one 15-minute session. The idea is for the dog to really enjoy the game and want more of it. So do not move on to the next step until the dog is responding with enthusiasm at the current level. 1 Again, start in a calm, low-distraction environment. 2 Use the dog’s opposition reflex to increase his drive forward. Tussle with and push back on the dog in a playful manner. The dog will typically spring forward toward you as you push him away from you. Present the bop hand as the dog is moving forward. It should look like the dog is popping a wheelie to get to the bop hand. 3 After a few successful sessions, begin changing the picture by switching your bop and cookie hands (don’t use only your left hand as the bop hand). 4 Then change the location of the bop hand; sometimes present it very close to your body, sometimes farther away. You can vary the height of the presentation (be careful not to present it so high the dog has to jump to bop your hand). You should also be sure to face away from the dog for more and more of the reps, which is more similar to an agility situation. You and the dog typically face the same direction more often than the dog runs to your front. 5 Increase the distance the dog has to move to bop your hand. 6 Begin adding motion by moving the bop hand away from the dog while he is approaching. Keep moving while he bops it, and then keep moving while rewarding the dog. It takes a little practice to deliver a treat while the dog is moving, but keep trying and you’ll succeed. 7 Keep the reward rate high. See if you can do 10 repetitions in 20 seconds or less. Make sure the dog gets a cookie for each successful repetition. 66 8 If the dog enjoys playing with toys, occasionally reward with a toy instead of a food treat. to his collar. If the location is not secure, keep the dog on leash, sliding the loop of the leash over your cookie hand, up past your elbow. Begin building enthusiasm in as many new environments as you can, remembering to keep your sessions short so the dog remains excited to play this game. Adding Distractions When the dog is playing enthusiastically in several new environments, it’s time to add distractions. A distraction can be anything that lowers the enthusiasm or accuracy of your dog’s hand touch. It could be something the dog absolutely loves (people, kids, food, other dogs), or something the dog is rather concerned about (people, kids, other dogs). Either way, the technique is roughly the same: 1 Start far enough away from the distraction that you think the dog is likely to be successful. 2 Ask for a hand touch. Pay careful attention to how enthusiastic the dog’s response is. 3 If the hand touch isn’t enthusiastic, move at least 20' farther away from the distraction and try again. Repeat as necessary. Pay careful attention to how far you have to be from the distraction to get a good hand touch. 4 For subsequent sessions move slightly closer to the distraction, ending each session at a successful distance. Do not be in a hurry to close the distance. Ping-pong the distance so the dog doesn’t always get closer to the distraction at each rep. Also do not overtrain: keep sessions short and do not repeat too many sessions in a row. 5 For distractions the dog is concerned about, remember that leaving the area can be a huge relief to the dog, so leaving the area can be used as a reward. If the dog finds leaving the area to be a relief, however, you were probably too close to the distraction and should be moving farther away anyway. 6 For distractions the dog loves, you may eventually choose to allow the dog to investigate the distraction after several enthusiastic hand touches. For example, if the dog is quite eager to greet a person, I will Clean Run | November 08 Varying Reward Placement Once the dog is playing Hand Touch with great enthusiasm, it is time to vary the reward location. This is a simple form of the Premack Principle: “If you (the dog) will touch my hand over there, I’ll give you a cookie over here.” 1 Put your cookie hand behind your back. 2 Present your bop hand to the dog near your side. 3 Deliver the treat with your cookie hand, away from the bop hand. Note: It is not uncommon for dogs to become slightly confused at this point, and begin trying to bop the cookie hand. The best solution is to simply wait the dog out. Refrain from wiggling your fingers or moving your bop hand around to get the dog’s attention. Be patient and let the dog learn. Most dogs quickly figure out that you want them to bop the empty hand, no matter where they get fed. As a bonus, they also learn to ignore the hand with the cookies, since they never get any cookies unless they nose-touch the bop hand. Dogs also tend to “wave” their nose over the bop hand and try to anticipate the cookie delivery. Only reward good, square-on nose touches. Changing Environments When the dog is playing Hand Touch with great enthusiasm, it is time to move to new environments. The idea is that the dog is excited to play this game with you anywhere you go. Start in another low-distraction environment and play several sessions for a few minutes. At first this can be as simple as moving to a different room in your house. Soon you’ll want to move outdoors and to other indoor locations. Select environments where you are fairly confident the dog will be successful. If the location is fenced or otherwise secure, you can let go of the dog’s lead, leaving it attached

Clean Run Magazine - November 2008

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