Clean Run - January 2016 - 10

* sometimes self-releases.
* releases on unintentional cues (like
movement) the handler may not be
aware they are doing (different than
self-releasing).
Dogs that understand the concept of stay:
* will have separate commands for
"don't move at all" and "hang out
there/don't leave."

* stalls out in front of the jump instead
of taking it.
Dogs that understand the concept of
jumping:
* will "fight" to take a jump even if
their line was not set perfectly by
the handler.
* will take jumps with their handlers far
ahead or far behind them.

* look excited, waiting on pins and needles for their release word; it is a fun
game to them.

* have both physical and verbal jump
commands they understand when
only one cue is being used at a time.

* look solid and strong; they are bracing
themselves and they are actively working their muscles.

* understand multiple cues to take
jumps (verbal, motion, collection,
and extension cues)

* have confidence in their job that is not
situational. They look the same on the
start line, their stopped contacts, and
the table in agility, for example.

* will take a jump just because their
handler is moving toward it; doesn't
need verbal help or additional hand
signals.

* spring into action when released; they
don't, "slink" or stroll out of the position.

* can be sent to jump from far away
without the handler going with them
to the jump.

Take the Jump, Please!
We all know it is easy to teach a dog to
do a jump. Any kid can get a dog over a
broomstick laid across two cans of paint
in a few minutes. But take a young agility dog, set him in front of a jump and
put the handler off to the side of the
jump. Does the dog take the jump or
take the shortest route to mom or dad,
going around the jump? Going over
jumps and understanding the concept
of taking jumps is not the same thing.
A dog that knows how to jump but
does not grasp the full concept:
* will go around a jump if that is more
convenient.
* will go around a jump if his handler
to too far ahead (it's the "chase mommy game" now).
* will go around a jump if his handler is
too far behind (needs the handler to
assure him).
* knocks bars, believing speed is more
important than accuracy.
* needs multiple cues to be convinced
to take the jump.

* can take a jump on a lead-out even
if they can't see the handler through
the stanchions.

Workers vs. Quitters
Learning the concept of working for
a reward is important for dogs. I like to
plant toys to reward my dogs. Many
dogs will keep trying to steal the planted
toy. They do not understand that when a
toy is tossed and they are told to leave it,
there is immediately going to be an opportunity to earn that toy. When I toss a
toy at the end of the teeter, for example,
and walk away, my dogs will excitedly
come with me; they know I will be giving
them a "map" to the teeter, ending in the
reward. The value in this one concept is
immeasurable. My dog is understanding
how to earn his reward. His experience
is "follow the cues to the reward," and he
wants the cues as much as the reward
because the road of cues takes him to the
reward. A dog that does not understand
how to work for rewards often learns to
shut down instead of trying harder to
figure out the puzzle being presented.

Desire to figure out how to get the reward is a concept that can be trained
by making tasks easy at first and then
gradually harder. Sadly, many trainers
do not have enough confidence and/or
patience to hang in there when it seems
like the dog "can't get it." Dogs are brilliant at figuring things out and they will
thrive if allowed a chance to think and
learn. Dogs that are helped at the first
instant they struggle never learn how
smart they are. I see these dogs learning how to be helpless instead of being
empowered by learning the concept of
figuring out puzzles to earn rewards.
Like the story at the beginning of this article, combining concepts happens all the
time. For example, I may be working on
the concept of jumping and the concept
of working for rewards at the same time.
I might place the toy on the ground off
to the side of a jump wing and position
myself several feet off that same side. It
would be easier for the dog to go around
the jump to steal the toy than to go over
the jump and bend around the stanchion
to get his toy. By hanging in there and being patient with my dog I am teaching two
concepts at once: 1) "take the jump I'm indicating even if you want something else"
(today a toy, tomorrow the tunnel); and
2) "earn your rewards-don't steal them!"
Training in concepts is a way of life. The
concepts blend in and out of all areas of
the dog's world, not just in agility. That
is the point of them. They make training
easier in the long run and build trust into
your system of communication.
I'm exploring the world of concepts every
time I train and teach. I invite you to open
yourself to this way of thinking based on
curiosity, consistency, and clarity. D

Sandy Rogers has been teaching obedience and agility since 1991. She founded ACE Dog Sports in San Francisco, California in 1999. Her dogs have competed in all the
USDAA and AKC National Championship finals multiple times in four jump heights. Sandy and Jack Russell Terrier Quill competed on Team USA at the World Agility
Open in 2011, 2012, and 2013. They won the individual gold and silver medals in 2012 and bronze in 2013. Quill won the USDAA Grand Prix in 2013, placed third in 2007,
and placed second at the 2012 and 2014 AKC Nationals. Border Collie Brink placed third in the Grand Prix in 2000 and won 16" Speed Jumping in 2007 and 2008 and
Performance Grand Prix in 2007. Sandy has two DVDs available: Training the Extreme Dogs and One Jump Two Jump. Her new video, Feet First, will be released in 2015.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - January 2016