Clean Run Magazine - August 2008 - 65

Behaviors and Cues Handling at a distance successfully is based on the dog’s ability to perform each obstacle independently. Your dog must understand the chain of behaviors required for each obstacle. Distance training requires that you train each obstacle with you, the handler, in a variety of positions, and it also involves teaching the dog to commit to an obstacle when you direct him to do so. Commitment is essential for distance work since you won’t be right there to show the dog what to do. If you haven’t already, at this point in your training you should be making decisions about what you are going to name the behaviors you are either currently teaching or will teach in the future. Last month you started building the cues you will use in your distance training (Right and Left, Switch or Turn, Out, Here, and Go). But have you decided what you will call your contact behavior and what word will you use for the weaves? You also need to think about and visualize how the desired behaviors will look as your dog performs them. What will it look like on the contact obstacles? Do you want all four feet on the contact or two rear feet on the contact and two front feet on the ground (two-on/two-off)? Perhaps you prefer all four feet on the ground or the dog in a down at the end of the contact. Be clear on what behavior you want or you’ll have a tough time training it! Step in a little closer or use a training aid to get the desired behavior. Make a mental note of your distance from the obstacle when your dog seems comfortable and also note at what point he doesn’t seem to understand his job. Reward your dog only in the contact position you want. Mark the correct position (verbal or clicker) and then reward the dog while he is in position. You can go in and reward him or throw a reward to your dog from a distance. Move away from the dog and back to your original position before releasing the dog. Too often we try to help the dog achieve a successful contact behavior by pointing to the contact, repeating the command several times, raising our voices, holding back, moving forward, or trying to block forward movement. When we try to help the dog rather than train him, we are inadvertently teaching him to be more dependent on us. That certainly does not further your goal of teaching your dog to work at a distance. Teach your dog the required (and rewardable) behavior on each piece of contact equipment. The most difficult task in the training process is consistency on your part. Contacts at a Distance After teaching your dog what you expect for contact performance, it’s time to start to proof his understanding and add more distance. You can change any aspect of the picture. For example, move ahead of the dog, stay behind the dog, move 5' away laterally from the dog, and so on. If your dog does not understand his job on that piece of equipment, simplify the exercise until he is successful. Be sure to stop the training session on a successful performance. When you resume proofing in your next session, start from a point where he was successful. If you are 5' away from the A-frame, for example, and the dog shows he understands what you want, start your next training session at a distance of 5' or a little less. Gradually build your distance. For many dogs, you may need to increase distance only inches at a time. If the dog is confused about his job as you change the picture and increase your distance from him, you have progressed too quickly. I use chicken wire “tents” to give the dog a clear boundary and physical support on a narrow plank. This plank is propped up on a table and in this case is being used for training a two-on/two-off position. I use gates on a low A-frame to visually and physically support the dog in my chosen contact position as I increase my distance from the dog. Weave Poles at a Distance As I gradually increase my distance from the weave poles, the dog may become confused so I will place a wire or ex-pen to aid him with the problem area of the poles. My goal is to set up a successful and highly rewarded exercise for the dog, and I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that. I want to reward the dog at a distance and low to the ground by throwing and eventually placing a target at the end of the poles. If the dog seems confused by something I have changed, I always go back and make the exercise easier for him so we can end on a successful behavior. When I introduce a dog to the weave poles, I want to make him familiar with any training aid I plan to use in the future. This includes PVC wires, chicken wire tents, and ex-pens. August 08 | Clean Run 65

Clean Run Magazine - August 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - August 2008