Clean Run Magazine - March 2007 - 33

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later modify the behavior of jumping up on your knee if your dog is too
rambunctious. After the dog truly understands the release skill, start to
reward the release close to your leg while the dog’s feet are on the
ground, before he gets a chance to jump up on you. No No Wiggling Exercise
During this handling exercise I expect Sweep to stay in a position at my
side, without struggling, while being touched and examined. The dog needs
to be on leash for the exercise. I kneel on the ground with the leash
tucked under my knee. I set a bowl of treats out of his reach off to my
side, where I can pick up one cookie at a time. I do not want food in my
hand. If having the bowl of treats on the floor beside you is too
distracting for your pup, put the bowl on a table, but within reach. You
can use a clicker, but I find it challenges my dexterity too much while
doing these exercises. I use the marker word “Yes” or just quietly
praise when Sweep tolerates my touch. I pet him gently down his back with
my left hand for just a couple seconds while my right hand holds the
collar. I say Yes the instant he stops wiggling; then I exchange hands
with my left No Wiggling! hand holding the collar as the right reaches for
a treat and hands it to him. I switch hands again and repeat many times.
Next, with my hand under his belly, I gently lift him into a stand and I
tickle his belly softly. I also whisper a calm Good Boy while he stands. I
say Yes, change hands, feed, change back again, and repeat. I lift a leg
from the elbow, mark it with Yes, release the leg, change hands, feed,
change hands again, and repeat. If holding the leg was okay, then I move
farther down the leg the next time mark, reward , and then move my hand to
his foot mark, reward . I put my hand on his back, pet all the way down his
back, and gently tuck him into a sit by folding him into the position with
my hand below his rump. Never push on your puppy’s rear to get him into
a sit. I do not use any words to cue positions like sit, down, or stand.
Those positions are taught with the clicker when the dog offers the
behavior. This exercise does not teach your dog to sit, stand, or down; it
teaches your dog to tolerate handling and be rewarded accordingly. The
sessions last about 5 minutes. We do these when Sweep has already been out
for some exercise and play, not when he is amped and wants to wiggle.
Handle in all ways and positions sit, down, stand . Touch your dog’s
face, ears, mouth, teeth, and each leg from top to foot; rub the foot
gently and separate each toe and rub it gently. I do the outside left legs
when the dog in on my left and the right legs when he is on my right. Be
sure to rub gently between the back legs, and touch the privates. Every
time the pup tolerates your touching a part of him, he is marked and
rewarded while he is tucked into your side. Sit Sweep has a reliable sit
and down on a verbal cue with some duration. I taught the sit while I
stood with Sweep on a leash beside me. I moved forward a couple of steps
with him. He stopped and looked up; I clicked and handed him a cookie high
over his head, which encouraged him into a sit. After moving another couple
steps, I repeated the click and feeding high; very quickly he was sitting
when I stopped moving. I started giving the Sit cue just after he sat 30
reps , and eventually just as he was sitting 30 reps . Then I cued him
just as I thought he would sit 30 reps . I found it helped to move around
with him a bit to get the sit, perhaps because we had been rewarding
attention and his looking up was a logical step: Head goes up, butt goes
down. I clicked and treated every sit just as his rear made contact with
the ground. 33 A Note on Clicker Use Do you need to use a clicker?
Absolutely not! But training your puppy will be more efficient if you at
least use the principles associated with clicker training. Learn more
about using a clicker before you try it on your pup. You can also use a
perfectly timed “marker word” like Yes, or you can just put a cookie
into your dog’s mouth without speaking a single word if you time your
treat delivery to coincide with the exact portion of a behavior you are
teaching. To learn more about clicker training, operant conditioning, and
how your dog learns, explore these two books from renowned dog trainers,
who also just happen to be at the top of the sport of agility as well.
This month’s must-reads include Susan Garrett’s Shaping Success, The
Education of an Unlikely Champion Clean Run Productions, 2005 and Pam
Reid’s Excel-erated Learning! Explaining in plain English How Dogs Learn
and How Best to Teach Them James & Kenneth Publishers, 1996 . March 07 |
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Clean Run Magazine - March 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - March 2007
