Clean Run - November 2013 - 22

Box Games:
Teaching Creativity
& Problem Solving

By Keagen J. Grace, CPDT-KA, CTDI, photos by author except where noted
© cleanRUn

While technical skills are vital for success as a canine performance athlete,
it's the mental game that separates truly competitive dogs from those that are
simply playing the agility game. When you think of traits you admire in uppertier agility dogs, concepts like creativity, quick thinking, responsiveness, ability to work at a distance, confidence, and high tolerance for frustration may
come to mind. After a bit more thought, you might find yourself adding speed,
spatial awareness, and body recognition to your list.
Focus, drive, and a "never say die" attitude may wrap up your mental image
of the perfect four-legged agility competitor. Some agility handlers struggle
and train their entire career trying to gain those coveted attributes, but most
never realize they're approaching it from the wrong direction. They train
harder, practice more flatwork, attend another weaving seminar, and put in
more runs to perfect their dog's obstacle approaches and contacts while the
goal they're truly seeking-a focused, creative, responsive, problem-solving,
thinking performance dog-continues to pass them by.
What, then, is an agility handler to do, if the answer to securing better performance on the course isn't drilling agility skills over and over and refining the
technical aspects of a qualifying run? The answer lies in a simple, fun, motivational training activity known as "Box Games."

From Dolphins to Dogs
Developed in the late 1960s as an exercise to teach military dolphins creative
problem solving skills and independent thinking, Box Games have taken the
dog training and performance world by storm. Not only do Box Games supply
an avenue to building your agility dog's vital mental game, they also encourage mental and physical flexibility, build fine-tuned spatial awareness, and
can assist in honing a dog's competitive edge.
Riann Cambio, head trainer of K9 Lifeline LLC, a professional working dog
training organization in Chandler, Arizona notes, "Nothing, absolutely nothing,
provides my service dogs in training and performance dogs a better or more
assured route to becoming mentally strong, confident, reliable workers capable
of problem solving, generating creative solutions under stress, and performing under a variety of circumstances than Box Games. It's one of the very first
things I do with a new puppy and I'm always amazed to see dogs continuing to
reap benefits years after the first time they played." Her sentiments concerning
the advantages of Box Games are echoed around the world by professional
trainers, canine sports competitors, and positive reinforcement aficionados.

The Basics
Many agility and performance trainers shy away from Box Games because
they assume an exercise with so many benefits is complicated, difficult to
master, and requires a ton of preparation. Ironically, it's the simplicity that
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makes Box Games so rich with
potential. To play, you only need a
short-sided cardboard box of any
size, a clicker, and a selection of
treats your dog enjoys. Initially the
size of the box isn't important, but as
the game progresses, you're going
to want a box that's large enough
for your dog to put his feet on or in.
There are few sights funnier than a
Border Collie that eagerly hops into
a shoe box and then surfs around in
it without any cue being given, but
it'll take a few rounds of game play
before your pooch comes up with
unique solutions like that.
Box Games is a marker-based freeshaping game. While a clicker provides a distinct, extremely precise
"mark" and is the tool of choice for
most trainers playing box games, a
verbal marker can work as well. It's
not nearly as precise and you run the
risk of missing the exact instant you'd
like to mark, but it'll do in a pinch.
Before adding Box Games to your
dog's toolbox of exercises, you'll
want to ensure he is "clicker conditioned;" that is, he thoroughly
understands a click always earns a
treat and he immediately looks for
his reward when he hears the click.
To clicker condition your dog, grab
a handful of high-value treats (like
diced chicken, cheese, or hot dogs)
and a clicker and do rapid-fire click
and treat 20 or so times in a row.
Pause, then click. If your dog immediately looks up expectantly or starts
glancing towards the treats, he's
clicker conditioned. If he doesn't,
then repeat the process.
Clean Run

November 13

Clean Run - November 2013

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