Clean Run - May 2013 - 44

touches or his response to his name or any of the cues you
are giving as you reset the dog to try again. It is rare that the
dogs do not figure out what you want in three attempts. But if
the dog doesn’t get it after four to five attempts, you guessed
wrong—the cue was not reasonable. At this point, go back to
your foundation work in that area and break it back down.
What you can change to help the dog out if he is struggling is
the reward—increase it, make it higher value, or change the
placement of it. Changing the placement of reward to get the
behavior you want is much more eﬀective than monkeying
around with the cue itself.
When you stop to make your point, freeze for a moment or
two or three or four. This will not be appropriate in all scenarios, but do it whenever possible for two reasons:

ing that I am indeed still on the planet and trying to communicate with him.

step 1 examples
u Turn cues: The dog turns the wrong way or back jumps or
turns wide when he gets a front cross cue. You immediately
decide to add a bit of a shoulder pull to help the dog around
before you do the front cross. If you do not intend to have
a partial shoulder pull cue proceed every front cross cue,
then you should not be adding the partial shoulder pull to
the cue at this time. Just show the dog your clean front cross
cue until he gets it. Yes, it might eat up your turn in class.
So what?

1. Stopping gives you a chance to assess your body. Are your
feet, hips, and shoulders actually where you willed them to
be or have they failed you yet again? This will help you decide if you did indeed deliver a reasonable cue.

u Missed jumps: The instant the dog runs around or past a
jump immediately (within 2 seconds) push him back over
the jump. Imagine the dog missing the jump as he is coming toward you to execute a serpentine and he runs past it.
Step in very quickly to get him over the jump before you
retry the jump again.

2. Stopping gives your dog the chance to see the cue he
missed. I especially like doing this when I’m setting a line
or giving a decel or lack of motion cue. I just freeze with my
on-side foot pointing straight at the correct obstacle. Or, if
I’m still on the takeoﬀ side of a jump I wanted him to wrap,
I wait for my dog to notice. I don’t mind waiting while he
“sightsees” around the course, he will eventually come back
over and then I can congratulate him (no cookie) for notic-

u Contacts: If you do not intend to have a physical cue be
part of your contact behavior cue, then don’t help the dog
by pointing at the ground when he stops short. If you do
this, the dog may learn to look at you so he can get the
pointing cue in order to get the cookie. And dogs will draw
these unwanted conclusions super fast! Just repeat the obstacle as needed until you get the behavior you want. If you
don’t get it in four to five attempts, you will have to go back

This book is the perfect primer for anyone wanting to build
a strong foundation and relationship with their puppy.

Don’t guess what to train when, rely on...

“Alphabet drills are wonderful for both the serious agility trainer
and the casual agility enthusiast. Creative in concept and comprehensive in scope,
they promote good training habits and the development of excellent skills.
Linger on L to learn more about lines, circle your way through the O-P-Q cycle,
or simply open the book to pick a letter—you will nd challenging
and fun drills for you and your dog.” —Katie Tolve, competitor
®
®

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Clean Run - May 2013

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