Clean Run - June 2015 - 46

The

Cone Zone

Constructing a Great Foundation to C Spot Win!

Pa r t 1

Basics of the Cone Wrap
By Stacy Peardot-Goudy, photos by Pup Art by Kathleen Schaffer

The plain old traffic cone, one of the
most useful training aids that we have
at our disposal is also one of the most
underutilized. In this series of articles
we are going to be giving the cone
our full attention and looking at all of
the amazing ways it can be used to
enhance your dog's body awareness,
build drive, maintain motivation, and
proof handling. This month we will be
teaching the basic behavior of wrapping the cone as well as exploring why
this is such a valuable skill from a body
awareness standpoint.
One of the primary benefits of cone
work is body ﬂexion and power and
speed though turns. When a dog moves
around the course, his ability to turn is
paramount in keeping him healthy,
as well as in getting him around the
course as fast as possible. A dog needs
to know how to use his body properly
in order to react quickly and correctly
to our cues and perform the desired
behaviors with speed, efficiency, and
ﬂuidity. Cone work also aids in teaching
front crosses, at least the part the dog
is responsible for-ﬂexion-and it aids
the dog's understanding of independent foot placement so he realizes how
to use each foot independently.
When the dog is driving around the
cone I want him in "four-wheel drive," in
other words, contact with the ground
with all four feet, driving through the
turn, not pivoting through the turn.
When a dog pivots, he is not ﬂexing, but
is primarily driving off of his rear ends.
46

So, let's get started!
I use two different techniques to teach
my pups to wrap cones: "shaping" and
"opposition reﬂex." I teach both ways simultaneously for different reasons:

· The shaping really helps dogs get
the behavior firmly planted in the
grey matter, creating fantastic understanding and visual awareness of
the cone which leads to a stronger
behavior.

· I like the opposition reﬂex training

technique as it creates the immediate drive, speed, and, the flexion I
am ultimately looking for.

burst of forward motion toward the reward. You will be holding your dog by
the collar or pushing back on his chest,
so if your dog is sensitive to either of
these methods of restraint, you should
work on that first.
Place the cone in a large enough space
that you to run well past it without running into things.
Initiate play with your dog, getting him
as jazzed up as possible for either the
toy or treat pouch. When you have the
dog revved to the desired level, take
him by the collar or restrain him by placing a hand on his chest.

Opposition Reﬂex Method
You will need a cone (I prefer the medium or normal size cones for the majority of dogs and puppies), your dog's
favorite toy or large visible food or a
food pouch/food-stuffable toy, and
your dog, of course!
The decision to use food or toys is dependent solely on what is preferred by
your dog. I prefer to use toys because
they are more interactive and make it
easier to create the level of excitement I
am looking for before, during, and after
the wraps. But ultimately you have to
use what your dog wants. If he prefers
food, make sure that you are doing all
you can to make food fun!
The goal in opposition reﬂex training is
to get the dog really excited for whatever reward you are using to incite a

Restrain your dog by his collar, or...

Put your hand in position so you're
ready to push back on his chest.
Clean Run | June 15

Clean Run - June 2015

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