PRACTICALLY TRAINING: Get a Clue About Your Cues: Creating A System of Communication © MATT ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY By Sandy Rogers What does every trainer teach? "Be consistent." How many times have you heard that? How many times have you told someone else to be that? But what does it really mean to be consistent? We toss that concept around all the time but rarely explore it. I'm asking you to dive into the consistency pool with me. You are going to get a clue about your cues, and as a result, you will be a more consistent handler-just what your dog has always wanted! What would your answer be if I asked you what command you use to get your dog to put their butt on the ground? I bet you would spit out "Sit" in a nano-second. Then what if I said, "show me your front cross cue." I've beheld many a puzzled face when I do this, followed by a long pause. The answer is just not there. The few students that have actually shown me a fluent front cross cue had to think about it first. The point is that the cue was not as mentally "on-hand" as their sit cue, yet it is a cue we use all the time in agility. Not only do I want all my cues to be readily accessible mentally, but I also want the combinations of them that I frequently use to be at my beck and call as well. Your cues and their combinations evolve into the language that creates communication with your dog. How clear and consistent your cues are, determines how well your dog understands you. How well he understands you affects success in and out of agility training. In agility training, it affects everything from obstacle performance to navigation of the course to finally speed. Before you decide that you are plenty consistent for your dog and move on to read something else today, take this little test. Take the Test 1. Do you know the four (and only four) types of cues there are in agility? o ____________________ o ____________________ o ____________________ o ____________________ 2. Do you know when to use each of the four? o All of the time o Some of the time o Rarely o I don't think about it 3. Do you know the single best verbal counterpart to every physical cue you have? o All of the time o Some of the time o Rarely o I don't think about it 4. Rate yourself to determine how consistent you are with your physical cues as you handle. I am consistent with my physical cues: o All of the time o Some of the time o Rarely o I do not consider this when I handle Test continued on next page May 20 | Clean Run 19