Clean Run - July 2018 - 21

PRACTICALLY TRAINING:
Verbal Left
and Right
Cues, Part 1
© MaTT allISOn PHOTOGraPHY

By Sandy Rogers, photos by
Laura Tsuk except where noted

As we train our dogs we should always
be aware whether we are training verbal
or physical cues. At the risk of sounding
like a broken record to those of you who
have read my previous articles, I will repeat
myself: When you call your dog while you
also give a physical cue, you do not know
which cue the dog is actually responding to.
Whenever you call your dog you are practicing a verbal recall. You should assume
he came because you told him to. If you
combined the verbal recall with a signal,
then you cannot know if he picked up the
physical cue you gave him while you were
calling him.
All the turn cues we have done so far
in the series have been physical cues.
Now we are going to explore turning
the dog with verbal cues. Physical cues
are successful when handlers are in
the correct position to execute them. If
you can't be in the correct position to
give your dog a physical cue or if your
training is lacking in the physical cue
department, you will have to rely on
verbal cues.
Verbal cues break down into obstacle
cues and directional cues. If you use

verbal cues for obstacles when you
are not in position to physically cue
the dog, it should mean that you have
systematically taught your dog verbal
obstacle discrimination; that is, you
can be behind the dog and call out the
name of an obstacle and the dog will
take that obstacle, even if he has to
change his current path to do it. Sound
diﬃcult? It is more so for some dogs
than others, but it definitely requires
a dedicated trainer with a good training plan to produce the high level of
comprehension needed from the dog
to be successful in making the choice
in competition. Please don't be fooled.
Just calling out the obstacles by name
as you train is not enough training for
the dog to learn true verbal obstacle
discrimination.
The same is true for verbal directional
commands. I see handlers using them
every weekend in conjunction with
physical cues, believing that the dog
has picked up the verbal command
when in fact there is no way to tell if the
dog responded to the verbal "Right" or
the rear cross, for example, that happened at the same time.

Who Needs It Anyway?
Not every team needs verbal directional commands. If you can outrun your
dog, your need for verbal directionals
plummets because you can always be
in the correct position to cue your dog.
Even many distance challenges in the
specialty classes in most venues can
be successfully executed from time to
time with just good old-fashioned line
setting and lots of momentum heading
into the challenge.
But if you are often caught far enough
behind your dog that you can no longer influence him with physical commands, or if you would like to excel at
the higher level distance challenges
more consistently, then you should
train your dog to turn when he hears
a verbal command.

Understanding Lead Changes
It is best that you understand what
a lead change is before you start this
training. If you don't know, please ask
someone to show you. Watching horses
change leads is easier than dogs. If you

Verbal cues break down into obstacle cues and directional cues. If you use verbal cues for obstacles when
you are not in position to physically cue the dog, it should mean that you have systematically taught your

dog verbal obstacle discrimination; that is, you can be behind the dog and call out the name of an obstacle
and the dog will take that obstacle, even if he has to change his current path to do it.

July 18 | Clean Run

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - July 2018