Clean Run Magazine - December 2006 - 34

Once your dog has gotten clicked and treated Some prefer an automatic down
and will then for being on the table encourage him verbally ask for a sit
if necessary. and with body language to leave the table so Down: When you
start working on a stationary that he can approach it again. Be sure to
move position, decrease your dog's distance from around the table so that
your dog has the the table. Give him just enough space so that opportunity
to approach it from all four sides. he can get up enough speed to jump up
on the Stay fairly close to the table 1' to 2' away so table comfortably.
Remain close so that you that your dog doesn't have to travel much are
ready to reinforce. Turn your dog toward distance to the table. Try to
keep your verbal the table and release him to get on. Instead and body
language cues to a minimum in the of clicking and treating immediately,
wait for early stages. Remember, this is shaping, give COURTESY OF DEBORAH
JONES your dog to offer something more. Stay close your dog a chance to
figure it out for himself. so he doesn't jump off the table and get back
You will know that you are successful at this on. Look down between your
dog's front feet. level if your dog approaches the table and If he even
glances down at the table, click and jumps on whenever given the
opportunity. treat, presenting the treat between his front The next step
is to start adding more distance feet/legs so that you are encouraging him
to as your dog approaches the table. Follow stretch back into a fold-back
or sphinx down your dog to the table to click and treat, then to get his
cookie. Release him from the table encourage him to move away with you for
and then back onto it again. Your first target another approach. You can
point out the table behavior is your dog simply looking down at to your
dog, but don't use a table cue yet. Point the table. Encourage this by
reinforcing your your dog in the right direction and give him a dog low
and between his front legs. This also release such as O.K., Go! When you
can send encourages your dog to lower his body slightly your dog to the
table from 10' to 12' away, it's backward to get his treat, which
eventually time to add the next step. leads to a down. You have been
following your dog to the table If your dog already has a quick and
consistent so that you can treat him while he's still on response to a
verbal cue to down, you can skip it. Now, add running with your dog to the
this step in shaping and simply ask for the exercise. Decrease your dog's
distance from the down once he's on the table. Be sure, however, table
when you first begin running with him. that the down has the desired
topography of a Sometimes, when you begin running with fold-back down,
rather than sitting and then your dog, your movement distracts him from
lying down. If you want an automatic down his objective and he pays more
attention to you than to the table. on the table without the dog's waiting
for a position cue, you need If this happens try to make your movements
less compelling. Run to fade out the down cue, or go back to shaping the
down instead a bit slower and try to be as smooth and quiet as possible.
Avoid of asking for it. In these cases, you want your verbal table cue to
using much verbal encouragement to send him to the table since actually
mean get on the table and lie down. If you only do USDAA this just pulls
his focus back to you. agility, this is a good idea, as the table position
is always a down. If you do AKC or other venues, you can still teach an
automatic down Click as soon as all four feet are on the table, get in to
treat while and then teach the dog to pop up into a sit when cued. your
dog is still there, and then encourage your dog to leave the table with
you. Do not ask for a stationary position or duration Sit: If you have
taught the down first, particularly an automatic on the table yet. down,
it may be faster to get the sit using luring. It's easy to lure your dog
with food slightly over his head and back. When he sits, click and Your
ultimate goal with this component of table performance is to treat. Fade
out the lure and just use the hand movement after three point your dog in
the direction of the table, send him with a verbal to four repetitions. Be
sure that fast sits get better reinforcement. cue to Go!, and for you both
to run to the table from a distance of And, once you have added a verbal
cue to sit, only use it once. If 10' to 12' . Your dog should jump
directly onto the table and wait your dog doesn't sit, use your no reward
marker or NRM oops , for his click and treat. have him get off the table,
and try again. Don't fall into the trap of You can then raise the table,
by degrees, to the required height for cueing repeatedly while your dog
stands there looking at you. your dog. Once you do this, it is only fair
to your dog to remain consistent and keep the table at competition height.
You don't 3. Holding a stationary position want your dog to have to guess
or be surprised by this aspect of When teaching your dog to take a
stationary position, click and table performance. Once your dog is
performing the table correctly treat as soon as the position happens. Your
next step is to teach a whenever he has the opportunity and at the required
height, you wait or stay duration in the required position. can give it a
verbal cue. If you initially used shaping to teach sits and downs, add
duration 2.Taking a stationary position by simply adding time between your
clicks be sure to treat every click . When adding duration, cut distance
and distraction. Stay The next step is to shape your dog to take a
stationary position on close to your dog and start duration work in a calm
quiet setting. the table. Some people prefer to teach the down first,
others the sit. | 34 Clean Run December 06
Clean Run Magazine - December 2006

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