Clean Run Magazine - September 2007 - 40

Spy Kids Continuing to Progress By Nancy Gyes, photos by Marcy Mantell Photography Sweep is almost nine months old. His looks have changed this past month. We woke up one morning to find his naturally tipped ears turned to pricked, one at a time, of course. He also started off as the smallest dog in the litter and looked like he would not reach the height of his parents and certainly not of his siblings that towered over him. He grew! He is almost 20" tall, and his body height and length is very similar to his father’s. He is a balanced and athletic puppy with a playful attitude and willing demeanor. Jim’s training focus is still primarily on the basics. He reinforces stays and recalls and is adding more and more distractions to all of his training. Recalls In the training yard, and around the house, Sweep is constantly asked to come to us by calling his name. We expect him to drive directly to the front of us with enthusiasm each time he hears his name. He is still rewarded a majority of the time for responding quickly, often with a game of tug, and we try not to call him when we don’t have a toy or cookie as a reinforcer. We are also conscientious that we release him with a specific cue, Off You Go, to end the recall. Agility Obstacles We are in no rush to get Sweep on real agility equipment. Sometime around a year of age, and after he has been radiographed to see if his growth plates are closed and if his hips and elbows are in good shape, we will start jumps, weaves, and contacts. The tire was introduced this week and is the first actual agility obstacle Sweep has been taught. We will use the tire to aid in teaching him a rear cross. He has also been introduced to a short training board to continue with his target training. FC FC FC Running ground work Stays We line up Sweep at our side and then leave him on a sit-stay. We regularly move a long distance away from him. We use all our motivational words while we are at a distance from him like “Ready, Steady” and we bang the toy on our leg to excite and distract him. Or we may run circles around him, passing close to him as we sprint by his side, and expect him to stay without moving. If he moves even an inch we mark the mistake with a tiny verbal Uh-oh and return to him, then leave again. At no time do we take our attention from what he is doing. We also ask friends to try to distract him while we practice stays. They can talk to him, run circles around him, or tease him with food and toys. At this point he does not have a tendency to scoot or move his feet. We want it to remain that way so we practice this often and return to reward him with treats and then release him to end with a rowdy game of tug. 40 Ground Work Sweep loves practicing his running ground work. He is rewarded often with the toy, always for turning back into Jim’s leg for reinforcement. His front crosses on the ground are tight and fast. Jim has taught Sweep to stay close to his leg, on both his right and left side, while Jim runs circles of all sizes, as well as straight lines. When Sweep is on the outside of a circle we try to keep him no more than a foot ahead of us. If he is on the inside of the circle he cannot forge or he will crash into our leg. If we do not move at a brisk speed Sweep will be at barely a slow trot. I do not want the circles with Sweep on the outside to look loose, or the inside circles too controlled and slow. Jim rewards both sides with lots of toy play and running as fast as he is able. A good size circle to practice with your own pup is about 30' in diameter. Your dog should stay within a couple feet of you at all times, with the goal that the dog is almost brushing your leg while you are running. Do this kind of training in short fast bursts so the dog is really running. Don’t bore the dog by jogging around for long periods of time at a very slow speed. Straight lines are also good to practice, not just inside and outside circles. Be random on your circle size and when practicing front crosses. Don’t wait to do a front cross until the dog is forging ahead of you. If your pup leaves your side, stop moving forward and call your dog back into your leg before you start to run again. Only use a leash now if absolutely necessary, and make sure your hands are free to move as well as reinforce while you are running. If you are in an unsafe location while practicing, keep a light line or leash dragging on the ground or tucked into the back of your pants. You will not be able to practice front crosses like this, however, so get rid of the leash as soon as possible and motivate your dog to stay with you because he enjoys the running and the playing. Clean Run | September 07

Clean Run Magazine - September 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - September 2007