Clean Run - December 2012 - 26

hand signals for distance. Rick used an extended arm plus body motion to cue Nani to leave his side. Pumping his arm and hand meant to keep going out. He initially taught these cues using a Manners Minder and one jump. Step by step, they increased the distance and the number of obstacles in the line to the Manners Minder. At first, the Manners Minder was a lure, but it delivered the goodies only when Nani was correct. When it was time to fade the Manners Minder (a very large visual target), Rick once again broke down the challenges to their simplest form. He showed Nani a food container, then sent her and threw the container. He says his aim had to be very good so he could mark the correct behavior. He repeated all the steps in his distance training using a thrown reinforcer.

to ride the teeter down and then cue the release and the turn away before Nani stopped.

Handler Skills: Designing the Perfect Gamblers Opening
At first, when they attempted gambles after this year of Gamblers training, they had one disappointment after another. Nani would complete the gamble but be over time. Or Rick would inadvertently disconnect from her at the buzzer, and Nani would be over an off-course jump before he had reconnected. More training was apparently needed, and this time it was Rick who had to teach himself to be smooth at the buzzer. He also learned to design an opening that flowed and provided momentum into the best possible line into the gamble. Rick worked on his timing until he could present Nani with the line into the gamble even before the buzzer sounded. They earned their second and third Gamblers legs at one trial, and then they were on a roll. The next trial had a gamble that required the dog to perform a tunnel on the far side of the dogwalk, then turn away to another tunnel. Elise Lynch walked the course with Rick, and said “No way,” since Rick had no cue for passing the entrance to the dogwalk to get to the tunnel. Rick agreed the gamble was impossible, but Nani surprised them both. Rick kept pumping his hand until Nani was past the dogwalk, and she nailed the gamble. Rick says maybe she was thinking, “We never do dogwalks in gambles, so it must be the tunnel.” At the next trial, Rick and Nani got both gambles for their ADCH and a bumper leg. Rick claims Nani is the easiest dog he has ever trained, because she is so focused and loves food so much. And this is a man whose other three dogs have been obedience champions! D

Common Sequences
Rick studied USDAA Gamblers and learned the most common sequences. Then he set up those sequences and worked them with Nani, gradually increasing distance on each sequence to 15-20’. They backchained many gamble sequences, obstacle by obstacle. He taught Nani, first nearby, then at a distance, to turn away at the bottom of the A-frame and seek another obstacle. To do this, his timing would be critical. He needed to release Nani from her 2-on/2-off position with the arm closest to her, and use his offside arm to cue the turn away to another obstacle. He also taught her to go through a tunnel or chute, take a quick look at him, and turn away to the A-frame. They worked tunnel to weave poles without Nani edging toward the handler line. They practiced jump-jump-teeter-turn away, and because it was so hard, and such a common Gamblers challenge, they did it a lot. If Nani stopped in her 2-on/2off position, she would have too much handler focus and would spin before turning away. Rick had to wait for Nani

Lisa Barrett lives in Vermont with her three shelter dogs, Spicey, Chi, and ADCH Fly JCH-Platinum, KCH-Gold. She teaches lessons and classes in Huntington, Vermont, and is a USDAA judge. Contact her at mytmutts@yahoo.com. 26 Clean Run | December 12

Clean Run - December 2012

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