Clean Run - August 2011 - 65

Identify what type of dog you have and experiment with different styles of handling to help your dog reach his optimal performance level. Remember to always mark and reward performance that is offered at full speed or even at exceptional speed, and be attentive to your relationship with your dog.

to the content of the words to understand their meaning. We rely on the content or meaning cue for 90% of our understanding. Secondarily, we note the tone with which the words are spoken. And finally, if we are very clever observers of human behavior, we note the body language, or posture, to validate what we have heard. Observation of body language probably only accounts for 1% or 2% of our understanding of any communication. The dog, however, operates under a different set of rules. The dog notes first what we are doing with our body, our motion and posture. This communication accounts for 90% of the dog’s understanding of our intent. Second the dog responds to our tone of voice. And finally, if the dog is clever, the dog may make note of the content of the words we speak. This observation of verbal meaning or content may account for only 1% or 2% of the dog’s understanding. You’ll note that the arrangement of language versus motion cues is precisely the opposite with dogs and people. So for us to effectively communicate with the dog we must understand how the dog communicates. Movement First A handler in motion is the most compelling cue that we can give to a dog. Dogs are smart about understanding human movement. They learn at an early age, in the first months of their lives, that we tend to move in the direction that our shoulders and our toes are pointing. And the dog, happy companion and trusty friend that he is, usually wants to go in the direction that we are going. Agility has a constantly shifting context. We need to use our own motion as a tool to communicate with the dog on the fly. Watch an inexperienced handler moving crabwise or sideways, or working back-

ward, as though this contrary movement might help the communication process. The same can be said of handlers who stop on course, or alongside a jump, as though they can suddenly stop communicating with the dog via motion (90% of the solution in the dog’s point of view) and control the moment by verbalizing cues (1% to 2% effective for the dog). Watch an agility trial. Note that the chance of something going badly wrong when the handler stops goes up about (and this is a scientific measurement, mind you) 4 billion percent. Remember that dogs already understand the way people move. So our movement should be natural, not contrived. The Message Is in the Tone The words we speak to a dog are more compelling when we apply a proper tone to those words. For example, the handler who is frustrated with her slow-moving dog may respond with the words “Hurry up! Hurry up!” Consequently, the dog slows down. What happened? Listen to the tone of the words. More than likely the frustrated handler has lapsed into a harsh and hard and low-toned language that sounds more to the dog like a growling “You better be careful! Don’t you screw up! Slow down!” Naturally, when the dog slows down on hearing the growl of his handler, the handler gets even more frustrated. Some advocate being hushed and quiet in the turns, and being active and vocal in the lines. That’s probably fine, if the handler works hard to establish this language with the dog. I’m of a different persuasion, however. I typically verbalize actively and excitedly with my dogs in the turns. I want them to look at me. And when they look, they should see me in motion, in the direction of the turn.

We test the efficacy of those things we do to engage the dog using rational litmus. Does the practice work? If not, then do something else. A good example is “cheerleading.” If the upbeat exclamations of the handler infuse the dog with interest and attention and enthusiasm, then it is a worthwhile practice. But, if the dog is indifferent to cheerleading or if the cheerleading seems to worry the dog, then the practice should be dropped. The Relationship Game Agility is a game of relationship. Many dogs lose motivation in the pursuit of training and competition because the trainer/handler engages in relationshipbreaking habits. The most glaring example is the handler who blames the dog for making a mistake on course. It is sadly ironic that the handler on the field blaming the dog for an error is blaming the dog for the handler’s own mistake. An agility trainer might also use an intentional program of harsh corrective methods to teach the dog a behavior. Harsh, abusive, and negative training methods are shortcuts for dog trainers who aren’t very darned smart. These methods can only be effective with a hard dog—a dog that rebounds from abusive circumstance to try again with energy and desire. A soft dog might learn the correct behavior or performance but is much more likely to approach the game with greatly diminished enthusiasm. In Conclusion Identify what type of dog you have and experiment with different styles of handling to help your dog reach his optimal performance level. Remember to always mark and reward performance that is offered at full speed or even at exceptional speed, and be attentive to your relationship with your dog. D

Bud Houston, an experienced competitor, judge, author, and seminar presenter in the sport of dog agility, makes his home in Waterford, Ohio, at Country Dream Agility, a recreational training camp for dog agility enthusiasts. Contact Bud at BudHouston@hughes.net; or visit www.dogagility.org. You can read his blog at http://budhouston.wordpress.com. August 11 | Clean Run 65

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Clean Run - August 2011

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