Clean Run - February 2013 - 60

Reliable two-on/two-off contact
performance is something many
teams struggle with. Having a solid stop at the bottom of contact
obstacles requires physical and
mechanical skills as well as understanding of the desired behavior.
Most of the skills the dog needs
can be taught and practiced without contact equipment, and in a
relatively small amount of space.

Living
Room
Agility

Before You Begin
You will need a couple of exercise discs and a board. The board
should be strong enough to support your dog’s weight and measure roughly 1' wide x 4' long. I
have successfully worked all sizes
of dogs on boards as small as
9" wide, but it took more time to
master the physical skills.
If your dog is not familiar with exercise discs, spend some time familiarizing him with them as the
movement can be startling to some
dogs. A good way to introduce the
disc is to lure the dog into putting
his front feet on the disc and reward. Once the dog is comfortable
standing on a disc with his front
feet, you can begin contact drills.
Step 1 – While your dog has his
front feet on the disc, give your
contact cue, Target, and lure the
dog forward until his front feet
are off the disc and his back feet
are on it. You might need to keep
one hand gently resting along the
dog’s outside hip or in the curve
of his flank to guide his back feet
onto the disc the first couple of
1

60

Two-on/Two-off
Contact Training

By Frankie Joiris, photos by author

times. The moment the dog is in
the correct position, reward. Make
sure to give a verbal release cue
before allowing him to step off the
disc. Repeat this, gradually fading
the lure, until the dog is coming
into position without assistance.
2

Step 2 – Now stand facing your
dog as he stands directly in front
of the disc with his back feet 3" or
less away from it. Give him the cue,
Target, and step toward him, helping him to back up onto the disc
as shown in Figure 1. Reward the
moment he has his back feet on
the disc. Again, you might need to
help guide him initially. Most dogs
quickly understand that this is the
same as getting into position on
the end of the contact as shown
in Figure 2. As with practice on an
actual contact obstacle, once the
dog understands the concept, you
can send the dog to the disc from
different angles and distances to
further enhance his knowledge.
Step 3 – Once the dog is comfortable finding “target” position on
the exercise disc, begin to ask for
duration. As he maintains position
on the disc, he will be working his
rear quarters to stay balanced,
strengthening the exact muscles
he needs to execute a contact.
Work on this, rewarding for correct
position, until the dog can maintain position on the disc for 20-30
seconds.
Step 4 – Standing next to the dog,
toss treats on the floor right in front
of him as shown in Figure 3. Use
treats that don’t bounce too much
on your floor. Make sure most of
the treats land close enough that
the dog can eat them without getting out of position. Some tosses
will land out of range. At first you
might need to gently restrain the
dog so that he understands he is
3

Clean Run | February 13



Clean Run - February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - February 2013

Clean Run - February 2013
Contents
Editorializing: Abuse of Power?
Tip of the Month
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Backyard Dogs
Awesome Paws Drills
Nutrition for the Canine Athlete, Part 1
The Judge’s Debriefing
Out Spot Out! What Cues Your Dog Really Pays Attention To
Head-Turning Turns, Part 2
Improving Your Dog’s Endurance with Dynamic Ball Work, Part 2
Class Challenges for Rising Stars
Can You Handle It?
The 10-Minute Trainer
Training with the Stars: Dana Pike
Knowledge Equals Speed: Introducing Tunnels
Teen Angst: Handling Your Puppy’s Moments of Insecurity
Living Room Agility: Two-on/Two-off Contact Training
Power Paws Skills: Rear Crosses
Clean Run - February 2013 - Clean Run - February 2013
Clean Run - February 2013 - 2
Clean Run - February 2013 - Contents
Clean Run - February 2013 - 4
Clean Run - February 2013 - Editorializing: Abuse of Power?
Clean Run - February 2013 - Tip of the Month
Clean Run - February 2013 - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Agility…
Clean Run - February 2013 - Backyard Dogs
Clean Run - February 2013 - 9
Clean Run - February 2013 - Awesome Paws Drills
Clean Run - February 2013 - 11
Clean Run - February 2013 - Nutrition for the Canine Athlete, Part 1
Clean Run - February 2013 - 13
Clean Run - February 2013 - 14
Clean Run - February 2013 - 15
Clean Run - February 2013 - 16
Clean Run - February 2013 - 17
Clean Run - February 2013 - The Judge’s Debriefing
Clean Run - February 2013 - 19
Clean Run - February 2013 - Out Spot Out! What Cues Your Dog Really Pays Attention To
Clean Run - February 2013 - 21
Clean Run - February 2013 - 22
Clean Run - February 2013 - Head-Turning Turns, Part 2
Clean Run - February 2013 - 24
Clean Run - February 2013 - 25
Clean Run - February 2013 - 26
Clean Run - February 2013 - 27
Clean Run - February 2013 - 28
Clean Run - February 2013 - Improving Your Dog’s Endurance with Dynamic Ball Work, Part 2
Clean Run - February 2013 - 30
Clean Run - February 2013 - 31
Clean Run - February 2013 - Class Challenges for Rising Stars
Clean Run - February 2013 - 33
Clean Run - February 2013 - 34
Clean Run - February 2013 - 35
Clean Run - February 2013 - Can You Handle It?
Clean Run - February 2013 - 37
Clean Run - February 2013 - 38
Clean Run - February 2013 - 39
Clean Run - February 2013 - 40
Clean Run - February 2013 - 41
Clean Run - February 2013 - The 10-Minute Trainer
Clean Run - February 2013 - 43
Clean Run - February 2013 - 44
Clean Run - February 2013 - Training with the Stars: Dana Pike
Clean Run - February 2013 - 46
Clean Run - February 2013 - 47
Clean Run - February 2013 - 48
Clean Run - February 2013 - 49
Clean Run - February 2013 - 50
Clean Run - February 2013 - Knowledge Equals Speed: Introducing Tunnels
Clean Run - February 2013 - 52
Clean Run - February 2013 - 53
Clean Run - February 2013 - Teen Angst: Handling Your Puppy’s Moments of Insecurity
Clean Run - February 2013 - 55
Clean Run - February 2013 - 56
Clean Run - February 2013 - 57
Clean Run - February 2013 - 58
Clean Run - February 2013 - 59
Clean Run - February 2013 - Living Room Agility: Two-on/Two-off Contact Training
Clean Run - February 2013 - 61
Clean Run - February 2013 - 62
Clean Run - February 2013 - Power Paws Skills: Rear Crosses
Clean Run - February 2013 - 64
Clean Run - February 2013 - 65
Clean Run - February 2013 - 66
Clean Run - February 2013 - 67
Clean Run - February 2013 - 68
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