Clean Run - August 2019 - 10

Potential Pitfalls and Addressing Failure
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating as it is
a frequent problem I see. As you work away from your
dog, it is very important that if you plan to be 7 feet
away, you are 7 feet away as your dog comes into his
end position. Often a handler will subconsciously try to
protect their dog from failing by veering in closer to them
at the end of the contact rather than being the intended
7 feet away. A great solution is to put a marker on the
ground and make yourself run to that spot, so you don't
inadvertently help.
Another pitfall is meeting the dog with their reward
before or as they come into the 2-on/2-off position. This
creates dependence on the handler since the handler
is making the dog stop in the correct position with their
placement of reward. The dog will quickly learn to focus
on the handler rather than on their task. So, stand still
and withhold the reward until the dog has come to a
complete stop, and then feel free to run in as quickly as
you can to reward.
Try to remember that it is not a big deal if your dog
struggles during this training. Failure is an integral part of
learning. It teaches your dog what not to do.
However, I never want to reduce my dog's desire to stay
engaged with me, and I want them to be persistent and
keep trying to succeed, so I always keep my sessions
fun. If my dog fails, I just call them to me in a happy
voice saying something like, "Get over here you!" and
then I'll either have them do a different, simple behavior I
can reward them for, such as a hand touch, or I run them
back to the start of the drill and try again.

Although I keep things fun the whole session, it's
important never to tell the dog they are right when they
are wrong. This is ultimately counterproductive and very
confusing. Don't holler out "Good girl!" as they run off the
end of the contact, just to keep your dog from stressing. It
may sound silly, but this is a habit many folks have. They
are so afraid of demotivating their dog that they praise
them for behaviors they don't want. Simple rule: if you
don't want to see a behavior repeated, don't praise it. If
you tell your dog they are right even when they are not,
how are they supposed to know when they are actually
right? Confused yet? I am; imagine how the dog feels.
"But," you ask, "will my dog understand that they are
wrong?" Yes, even though I am keeping the session fun,
my dog will know they were wrong simply because their
awesome reward explosion didn't happen. Withholding
their reward is enough of a correction.
When you have a failure, it's time to make a decision. If
you feel that you gave your dog an unfair challenge and
raised the difficulty level too fast, then you can make the
next rep easier and then gradually add more difficulty.
But if you feel like you gave your dog a fair challenge
that they should be able to accomplish, it's important to
try the same skill over again (possibly a number of times
until they get it right). If I keep the session fun, my dog
will stay engaged with me.
Be thoughtful and make good decisions, never be afraid
to create or work through failure, it's just a part of the
process, and if you are not bringing your behavior to
failure, you are probably not challenging your dog enough.
We will delve deeper into this training in the next article. D

Stacy Winkler has been teaching agility for over 15 years. She is located in Vista, California. For more information on the training concepts in this article and other training
articles you can visit her blog: https://stacywinklerblog.com. To learn about her Foundation, Connection and Drive, Jump and Contact Foundation online classes, inquire
about seminars, or contact Stacy directly, go to http://www.stacywinkler.com.

The jumping skills required of our dogs
are no longer limited to collection and extension.
Mastering Jumping Skills is a comprehensive
jumping program designed to prepare your dog for
the jumping challenges that he will face in agility.

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Clean Run - August 2019

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