When you enter the obedience ring with your dog there are many things that you may use in training that you can't bring into the ring with you:
* Treats
* Toys
* Leash (for many exercises in novice and all of open and utility)
* Any targets, platforms, boxes, and other training tools you use
* Ability to use your voice (during exercises).
Lack of these tools can be daunting for both you and the dog but it doesn't have to be. There is a lot you can do in the ring to reconnect, praise, relax, motivate, and control your dog that doesn't involve any of the above.
Between exercise you are allowed to have quiet a bit of interaction with your dog:
The only guide line is NOT to annoy the judge. I once saw a woman who asked her dog to roll over to both sides and circle both ways between each and every exercise. It took quiet a bit of time and the judge got visibly more and more annoyed each time she did it.
Short of a long elaborate ta-do like that one and as long as you are moving briskly to the start of the next exercise the "in between" exercise portion of the trial is YOURS.
How to best use this time:
There are 5 things you want to accomplish or re-establish during the time you have between exercises.
(1) RECONNECT -- First and foremost the time between exercises gives you a chance to reconnect with your dog. Don't worry about talking to the judge, stewards, looking over at your fans in the audience. Don't worry about anything other than Yourself and Your dog. Nothing else should exist. Look into your dogs eyes, get their attention back, feel that invisible leash between you. I try to establish this connection between exercises and than maintain it through out the next exercise, I answer the judges questions almost as if they are from a dream, all my active concentration and energy is on my dog (and theirs on me). When I heel my dog in the ring, for example, I still say "sit" to my dog only now I say it just in my mind and not out loud. I do this because it keeps me actively engaged with my dog at all times. If I lose them I use the in-between exercises portion to re-connect with them.
(2) PRAISE -- You want to praise your dog for a job well done. You want to be genuine, if the dog didn't do his best you want to temper your praise. But NEVER correct between exercises. The only way corrections between exercises work is if your dog is a seasoned competitor (in the ring every weekend) who knows exactly what to do and who decided not to do it. On the other hand if your dog is not a seasoned competitor, is likely frazzled by your stress, being in a new environment, having the judge in the ring, etc ... and did a job less perfect than he does at home CORRECTING him for it will take out whatever "want to" is left in him and I guarantee you won't be happy with the results. So even though you may offer less praise, do PRAISE. Keep a happy and up-beat attitude. "It's okay, good try, on to the next thing let's try this one". In addition to PRAISE being genuine you want PRAISE to be GREAT! Do whatever your dog most likes and give him your full attention. The ring should be happy and marvelous place. Make sure you PRAISE in this way in practice as well so that your dog understands it as a good and familiar thing.
Here is video of Dee Dee Anderson and her dog Dream at the AKC National Obedience Invitational (NOI) from 2007 the year they WON it! Watch how Dee Dee interacts with Dream between exercises --- she gets down on the floor with her and practically gives her belly rubs!
(3) RELAX -- Despite your best efforts the ring and trial environment is different from the training environment and your dog knows it. Many dogs will lose confidence in a trial environment, they won't know what to do, they may not know what is right anymore, all this combined may lead to the dog exhibiting stress or even shutting down. Use the in-between-exercise-time to relax your dog. In training pay attention to behaviors your dog exhibits when they are relaxed and happy. Put these behaviors on cue and ask your dog to preform them between exercises. If a dog is stress he may not even BE ABLE to preform them. This will give you a good indicator of his stress level. For example some dogs bark when they are excited and a stressed dog won't, a friend of mine asks her dog to bark just before she releases him in agility this instantly relaxes him and got him over a very bad stress sniffing problem. Asking your dog to bark is not a good choice for obedience but there are many other things you can do; ask your dog to jump, to snap his teeth together, to wag his tail, to sneeze (many dogs sneeze when they are relaxed and excited therefore a sneeze on command can be a powerful de-stressing tool). I have a friend who's dog has a 4 ft vertical leap which she does when she is excited, in the ring however she refused to jump, by putting her jump on cue and asking her to do it in between exercises my friend managed to completely de-stress her dog and vastly improve her scores.
(4) MOTIVATE -- Many dogs rev-down for trials, they slow down, they mop through the exercise, they don't seem to enjoy them. This is common and totally normal. In fact most dogs do it to different degrees. The end result is something a little-to-a lot worse than what you have in training. Sloppier, slower, less power, less drive. By using the in-between-exercises-time properly you can do a lot to motivate or re-motivate your dog. To motivate my dogs I use "excitement" words. When we are out on a walk and my dogs see a squirrel or rabbit and they get excited I label that excitement with a word "squirrel" or "rabbit". I can than use those words in the ring, "where is that Rabbit? Oh, my goodness I think there is a Squirrel here." This gets my dogs ears up, their tails up, increases their energy level and really motivates them. You can label other things as well: "treats", "cookies", "jackpot", "breakfast", "tuggy", anything that gets your dog excited.
Below is a video of Bridget Carlsen and her dog Hemi earning a UD leg (Hemi now has his OTCH). Watch how Bridget interacts with Hemi between exercises. Watch especially how she gets Hemi ready for articles. She asks Hemi to "bite". This is Hemi's cue to air snap, something he loves to do and something that gets him really excited for his less-than-favorite exercise.
(5) CONTROL -- Depending on your dog the in-between-exercises-time may give you a good opportunity to get control of, or maintain control of, your dog. In her book "Dog's are problem solvers, Handler's should be" Connie Cleveland diagrams out the obedience ring. She shows where each exercise takes place and diagrams the best path to use to move between them. There is no reason you can't think of a trial as one continuous exercise that last for about 3 minutes and choreograph the in-between-exercise movement as just another exercise or extension of the exercise before and after. If you have a dog that is easily distracted or "wild" this may be the best thing to do.
Here is video of Petra Ford and her dog Tyler for the 2009 NOI which they WON! Watch Petra and Tyler between exercises, you will see that Petra shifts her hand to a new position as they move to another exercise, it is not really a heel, but rather a choreographed, taught, and totally controlled between-exercise-movement. It keeps her and her dog in-the-zone the entire time they are in the ring and makes for an elegant performance.
For more info: Adele Yunck wrote a blog entry about "What to do between exercises" that includes a video of her and her dogs between exercises.
Northfield Natter: What to do between exercises in the obedience ring
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Heel Halt Sits
During an obedience heel pattern when you stop your dog must sit automatically.
There are a lot of aspects that go into the automatic halt-sit that I will not discuss in this post. I will however, mention them briefly, so you can keep them in mind:
(1) Sitting at the heel-halt is not in any way natural to your dog, or something that he would figure out how to do on his own. So this behavior must be taught.
(2) Your footwork coming-to-the-stop must be the cue for your dog to sit, not your stationary stopped position. If you make your stationary stopped position the cue, than when you halt, your dog will wait until you are stationary, and than he will sit -- this results in a slow sit. Rather you want your LAST STEP to be the cue. This is accomplished by using consistent footwork on your halts and teaching your dog to sit on your last step. You can use lots of different types of footwork for the halt, the key is to be consistent. Here is what I do: The judge says "Halt" I plant my left foot (foot closest to my dog), I take a half step with my right foot, and I bring up my left foot to my right foot. I practice until I can do this footwork naturally and than I teach it as the cue to my dog to sit.
(3) You want your dog to sit straight. Crocked sits at the heel-halt can be a sign of heeling issues. For example a dog that crabs while heeling will often sit with his butt out (away from handler) and his front end in (in correct position). So if you have consistently crocked sits work on fixing your dogs heeling.
What I want to talk about in this post is the three different ways that a dog can sit on a heel-halt, what you want to look for, and what to avoid.
The three ways a dog can sit on a heel-halt:
(1) The correct sit (sometimes called the gliding-sit) :
When cued that you are stopping the dog will plant his front legs and either tuck in or scoot in his rear to meet them.
(2) The roll-back sit:
When cued that you are stopping the dog will sit down with his rear and either roll back and/or move his front legs back toward his rear.
(3) The sink-down sit:
When cued that you are stopping the dog will plant his front legs and rear legs and slowly fold the rest of his body down into a sit.
The results (video of only the correct sit will be shown since I don't want to hold any one's dog up as an example of an incorrect sit, however if you search youtube for "AKC or UKC obedience" you will find many examples of dogs doing incorrect sits):
(1) Correct Sit (or gliding sit): Fast, clean, dog maintains heel position.
(2) Roll-back Sit: Slow, dog rolls back out of heel position. Though any breed can sit in any way this type of sit is commonly seen for breeds like: German Sheperds, Large dogs like: Newfoundlands, Malamutes, St Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, etc...
(3) Sink-down Sit: Very slow, almost painful to watch. Again this sit is not breed specific but it is often seen for breeds like: Great Danes, various hounds, including sight hounds.
Without discussing why certain dogs may prefer to sit in a certain way lets launch right into how you fix or avoid these problem sits. If you have a dog that is already sitting incorrectly or you have a breed that is prone to sit incorrectly. Take extra steps to ensure that your dog understands the precise mechanism for sitting. There are really just four extra things to focus on.
Make sure your dog:
(1) Sits with head up. - not up and back, but up and UP. When you are first teaching your dog to sit you may have lured him into a sit by holding a treat above his head. If you hold the treat too high the dog may jump for it. If you hold it too low, you will find that you have to move it backward above the dog's head for the dog to sit (a result of the dog following the treat with his eyes as it passes over his head), this will actually cause the dog to do and to learn a roll-back sit. If you hold the treat in the right spot, treat is held stationary above the dog's head just above the dog's brow line, the dog should sit (with even a tiny bounce up). If your dog having trouble sitting correctly go back to re-teaching him to sit, make sure that if you are luring with a treat over his head that the treat is held in the right spot. No matter how you decide to re-teach the sit make sure your dog understands that he should sit with his head held up. Rename this behavior if you need too. Also watch dogs in the ring dogs that roll-back sit and sink-down sit, you will notice that they ALWAYS drop their heads before doing the incorrect sit, by requiring your dog to keep his head up you will make it harder for him to preform the incorrect sits and make it easier for your dog to do a correct sit.
(2) Sits with legs square. - Your dog's legs should be tucked underneath his body when he sits. Dogs that do a sink-down sit often splay their legs outward. A platform can be a very useful tool to use to prevent or remedy this incorrect splaying of the legs while sitting behavior. A platform is any raised level surface (for example a rectangular wooden board on little wooden legs) that is just large enough for the dog to sit on, when he is sitting with his legs tucked under him. By teaching your dog to sit on the platform it is really easy for him to understand that splaying his legs is not the behavior you want because it will result in him falling off the platform.
(3) Sits with chest out. - By requiring your dog to sit with his chest out you are enforcing the scoot-your-rear-toward-your-legs behavior and discouraging the roll-back sit behavior. The method that worked best for me to teach a dog to sit with his chest out was to physically put him into this position. I use the word "set up" and the physical manipulation method that Sylvia Bishop teaches. Briefly; you look to your right (this aligns your shoulders correctly) you reach your right hand across your stomach and get hold of the dog's collar under his chin. You place your left hand on the dogs shoulders such that your palm is open and your thumb is on the dog's right shoulder blade and your fingers are on his left shoulder blade. Than you lift up with your right hand (dog's collar) at the same time you push forward with your left hand (dog's shoulder blades) I give the "set up" command at the same time (Sylvia uses "feet"). This is not a correction, not a cue, and not a command that the dog learns to obey on his own. But by consistently placing the dog in the correct alignment it helps them learn how to pop their chest out. The command word "set up" is really just to let the dog know what I am doing when I start to push on them. I was skeptical of this technique at first but it has worked very well for me.
(4) Sits in correct position. - By enforcing correct heel position and requiring that your dog sit in the correct place when you stop you will avoid a roll-back sit that causes your dog to roll back out of position. To do this use a treat or toy and let your dog see it as you begin your heel-halt footwork. Make sure that the only spot you give the reward to your dog is in "exact" heel position -- this will make this a valuable spot for your dog to be in and will result in him figuring out a way to sit so that he ends up there.
The video above comes from http://www.gettoready.net/ a wonderful site by Catherine Zinsky that contains articles about all obedience exercises, videos of exercises, quizzes on rules (for novice, open, and utility) and a marvelous jump height calculator.
There are a lot of aspects that go into the automatic halt-sit that I will not discuss in this post. I will however, mention them briefly, so you can keep them in mind:
(1) Sitting at the heel-halt is not in any way natural to your dog, or something that he would figure out how to do on his own. So this behavior must be taught.
(2) Your footwork coming-to-the-stop must be the cue for your dog to sit, not your stationary stopped position. If you make your stationary stopped position the cue, than when you halt, your dog will wait until you are stationary, and than he will sit -- this results in a slow sit. Rather you want your LAST STEP to be the cue. This is accomplished by using consistent footwork on your halts and teaching your dog to sit on your last step. You can use lots of different types of footwork for the halt, the key is to be consistent. Here is what I do: The judge says "Halt" I plant my left foot (foot closest to my dog), I take a half step with my right foot, and I bring up my left foot to my right foot. I practice until I can do this footwork naturally and than I teach it as the cue to my dog to sit.
(3) You want your dog to sit straight. Crocked sits at the heel-halt can be a sign of heeling issues. For example a dog that crabs while heeling will often sit with his butt out (away from handler) and his front end in (in correct position). So if you have consistently crocked sits work on fixing your dogs heeling.
What I want to talk about in this post is the three different ways that a dog can sit on a heel-halt, what you want to look for, and what to avoid.
The three ways a dog can sit on a heel-halt:
(1) The correct sit (sometimes called the gliding-sit) :
When cued that you are stopping the dog will plant his front legs and either tuck in or scoot in his rear to meet them.
(2) The roll-back sit:
When cued that you are stopping the dog will sit down with his rear and either roll back and/or move his front legs back toward his rear.
(3) The sink-down sit:
When cued that you are stopping the dog will plant his front legs and rear legs and slowly fold the rest of his body down into a sit.
The results (video of only the correct sit will be shown since I don't want to hold any one's dog up as an example of an incorrect sit, however if you search youtube for "AKC or UKC obedience" you will find many examples of dogs doing incorrect sits):
(1) Correct Sit (or gliding sit): Fast, clean, dog maintains heel position.
(2) Roll-back Sit: Slow, dog rolls back out of heel position. Though any breed can sit in any way this type of sit is commonly seen for breeds like: German Sheperds, Large dogs like: Newfoundlands, Malamutes, St Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, etc...
(3) Sink-down Sit: Very slow, almost painful to watch. Again this sit is not breed specific but it is often seen for breeds like: Great Danes, various hounds, including sight hounds.
Without discussing why certain dogs may prefer to sit in a certain way lets launch right into how you fix or avoid these problem sits. If you have a dog that is already sitting incorrectly or you have a breed that is prone to sit incorrectly. Take extra steps to ensure that your dog understands the precise mechanism for sitting. There are really just four extra things to focus on.
Make sure your dog:
(1) Sits with head up. - not up and back, but up and UP. When you are first teaching your dog to sit you may have lured him into a sit by holding a treat above his head. If you hold the treat too high the dog may jump for it. If you hold it too low, you will find that you have to move it backward above the dog's head for the dog to sit (a result of the dog following the treat with his eyes as it passes over his head), this will actually cause the dog to do and to learn a roll-back sit. If you hold the treat in the right spot, treat is held stationary above the dog's head just above the dog's brow line, the dog should sit (with even a tiny bounce up). If your dog having trouble sitting correctly go back to re-teaching him to sit, make sure that if you are luring with a treat over his head that the treat is held in the right spot. No matter how you decide to re-teach the sit make sure your dog understands that he should sit with his head held up. Rename this behavior if you need too. Also watch dogs in the ring dogs that roll-back sit and sink-down sit, you will notice that they ALWAYS drop their heads before doing the incorrect sit, by requiring your dog to keep his head up you will make it harder for him to preform the incorrect sits and make it easier for your dog to do a correct sit.
(2) Sits with legs square. - Your dog's legs should be tucked underneath his body when he sits. Dogs that do a sink-down sit often splay their legs outward. A platform can be a very useful tool to use to prevent or remedy this incorrect splaying of the legs while sitting behavior. A platform is any raised level surface (for example a rectangular wooden board on little wooden legs) that is just large enough for the dog to sit on, when he is sitting with his legs tucked under him. By teaching your dog to sit on the platform it is really easy for him to understand that splaying his legs is not the behavior you want because it will result in him falling off the platform.
(3) Sits with chest out. - By requiring your dog to sit with his chest out you are enforcing the scoot-your-rear-toward-your-legs behavior and discouraging the roll-back sit behavior. The method that worked best for me to teach a dog to sit with his chest out was to physically put him into this position. I use the word "set up" and the physical manipulation method that Sylvia Bishop teaches. Briefly; you look to your right (this aligns your shoulders correctly) you reach your right hand across your stomach and get hold of the dog's collar under his chin. You place your left hand on the dogs shoulders such that your palm is open and your thumb is on the dog's right shoulder blade and your fingers are on his left shoulder blade. Than you lift up with your right hand (dog's collar) at the same time you push forward with your left hand (dog's shoulder blades) I give the "set up" command at the same time (Sylvia uses "feet"). This is not a correction, not a cue, and not a command that the dog learns to obey on his own. But by consistently placing the dog in the correct alignment it helps them learn how to pop their chest out. The command word "set up" is really just to let the dog know what I am doing when I start to push on them. I was skeptical of this technique at first but it has worked very well for me.
(4) Sits in correct position. - By enforcing correct heel position and requiring that your dog sit in the correct place when you stop you will avoid a roll-back sit that causes your dog to roll back out of position. To do this use a treat or toy and let your dog see it as you begin your heel-halt footwork. Make sure that the only spot you give the reward to your dog is in "exact" heel position -- this will make this a valuable spot for your dog to be in and will result in him figuring out a way to sit so that he ends up there.
The video above comes from http://www.gettoready.net/ a wonderful site by Catherine Zinsky that contains articles about all obedience exercises, videos of exercises, quizzes on rules (for novice, open, and utility) and a marvelous jump height calculator.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Obedience Seminars
Obedience Seminars I have attended:
* Sylvia Bishop x 2
* Celeste Meade
* Bridget Carlsen x 2
* Linda Koutsky
* Connie Cleveland
* Adele Yunck (Proofing seminar)
* Adele Yunck (Balancing Act seminar)
Obedience Seminars I plan to attend in the near future:
* Janice Gunn
* Sylvia Bishop (again)
* Gary & Kathy Platt's Obedience Camp
Obedience & Agility Seminars I would like to attend (in no particular order):
* John Rogerson
* Terri Arnold
* Lynn Weinberg
* Dee Dee Rose
* Dee Dee Anderson
* Nancy Patton
* Jane Jackson
* Debbie Quigley
* Judy Ramsey
* Suzanne Clothier
* Chris Bach
* Judy Howard
* Shirley Chong
* Ian Dunbar
* Sandy Ladwig
* Chris Zink
* Linda Mecklenburg
* Bud Houston
* Dana Pike
* Ann Braue
* Greg and Laura Derrett
* Susan Garrett
* Denise Fenzi
* Patti Ruzzo
* Leslie McDermitt
* Pat Hastings
* Susan Salo
* Gerianne Darnell
* Sylvia Bishop x 2
* Celeste Meade
* Bridget Carlsen x 2
* Linda Koutsky
* Connie Cleveland
* Adele Yunck (Proofing seminar)
* Adele Yunck (Balancing Act seminar)
Obedience Seminars I plan to attend in the near future:
* Janice Gunn
* Sylvia Bishop (again)
* Gary & Kathy Platt's Obedience Camp
Obedience & Agility Seminars I would like to attend (in no particular order):
* John Rogerson
* Terri Arnold
* Lynn Weinberg
* Dee Dee Rose
* Dee Dee Anderson
* Nancy Patton
* Jane Jackson
* Debbie Quigley
* Judy Ramsey
* Suzanne Clothier
* Chris Bach
* Judy Howard
* Shirley Chong
* Ian Dunbar
* Sandy Ladwig
* Chris Zink
* Linda Mecklenburg
* Bud Houston
* Dana Pike
* Ann Braue
* Greg and Laura Derrett
* Susan Garrett
* Denise Fenzi
* Patti Ruzzo
* Leslie McDermitt
* Pat Hastings
* Susan Salo
* Gerianne Darnell
another tattoo
definitely having too much fun with this (Black Jagua)
definitely having too much fun with this (Black Jagua)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Beware of CRAP
C=Continually
R= Rewarding
A=Ambiguous
P=Performances
Unfortunately CRAP can and does happen to all of us! We intentionally and unintentionally reward ambiguous or even incorrect behaviors.
To avoid CRAP:
* Decide on criteria for each exercise and stick to it. Keep criteria consistent not only in training but while in class and while trialing as well.
* Be genuine. Keep everything as black & white as possible for your dog. Correct = Praise, Incorrect = nothing or correction (depending on stage of training).
* Don't confuse motivation and praise. Getting your dog excited and up is important but should not look the same as rewarding (praising) your dog for a job well done (for example: don't tug for both).
* Always remember that reward and praise is defined BY THE DOG. If your dog is allowed to run away from you during the recall, sniff the ground while heeling, break stays, these behaviors may persist because they are inherently rewarding to the dog. Likewise if your dog does not enjoy having his ears rubbed don't rub his ears as praise.
The concept of CRAP is taken from Susan Garrett. You can read more about it at:
"Hanging on to Good Behavior" by Susan Garrett
Friday, May 22, 2009
Use of Voice in Training
The way in which you use your voice to talk to your dog is very important.
(1) Dogs don't understand English. I know that seems obvious but I can't tell you how many times I see people use "down" and "lay down" interchangeably. Think about how these words sound -- if you didn't understand English would you guess these commands mean the same thing. What about "sit down" does that mean to sit and than to down or to ignore the first command sit and just to down (as you would for the "lay down" command). No in this case it means to ignore the second command and just to sit. --- CONFUSING.
Make sure your sure your commands are clear and consistent.
(2) Pick words for commands that sound different from one another and make sure to emphasis those differences. You don't have to use the word "sit" for you sit command you can use "frog" your dog won't know the difference. However you do want to pick a word that you will remember. If you do choose command words that sound very similar like "sit" "stand" "stay" think about ways to say them so they sound different to your dog. I say "sit" in a fast and short tone with emphasis on the "s". I say "stAND" in a slower, lower tone with emphasis on the "AND" I say STAY in a deep, slow tone with a long "Y" sound on the end. In addition I use hand signals for each of these commands which all look very different from one another.
(3) Your tone of voice and body posture. Dogs understand body language much much better than they understand spoken language. However they can also be very receptive to our tone of voice. So use both of these elements to your advantage.
Command::: When you give a command make contact with your dog -- get their attention and make sure they are looking at you, keep your body relaxed, give a nice strong hand signal (try not to give much other movement) at the same time give the verbal command in a clear concise way.
Praise:::: If your dog responds in the desired way -- praise. Let your body relax even more, you may touch the dog in a playful way, give verbal praise in a high sweet voice what you say doesn't really matter "good dog" is classic but you can use "good job" , "excellent", "yes" whatever, your sweet high tone is what matters.
I use different degrees of praise, for routine things I say "yes" in a sweet happy way and I may touch my dogs ears in a way they like. If they do something they have had trouble with or at a time I know they are distracted (i.e. a really long down stay, a sit with a dog barking next to them) or if they do something really well (i.e. a really fast straight down with attention) than I raise my level of praise I say "excellent" (a longer word than "yes") I say it in a higher tone of voice. I usually let me dogs run around in a little circle with me or jump on me (which they like to do) or I give them a treat. Lastly if I have taught my dog something new and they are little confused but perform it right I raise the praise level yet again. I throw my hands up and sing, I run around with them, and I let them release the pressure they felt by having to think through the complicated exercise they just performed by breaking into a game of fetch or tug or whatever else they like.
What matters most is that you use a high sweet sing song tone.
Correction :::: When using verbal corrections, stiffen your body, look down at your dogs (but avoid making eye contact with them!*), say "OOPS" "NO" "AH" whatever word you choose but say it immediately when the mistake happens and say it in a low, deep, short tone. Than relax your body, get your dog back into position and try to give the command again this time give the command in a firmer and more clear way.
As you begin to eliminate constant food rewards your voice becomes critical since it is now the only way your dog knows if he is right or wrong. In order for your dog to want to work for your verbal praise alone it has to become something great that is worth getting, perhaps something that is better than food or toys.
One last thought: Be very conscience of what tone of voice you are using and when you are using it.
Example 1: If your dog is not paying attention to you but rather is staring at a dog in the other ring DON'T stand their calling his name in a sweet gentle voice -- if you do this you are PRAISING for what he is doing. Rather give your dog a command like "watch me" or "leave it" if your dog responds to that command now you can praise and praise a lot! since this was a hard thing to do, if your dog does not respond use a correction.
Example 2: If you tell your dog to heel and your dog is doing a wonderful job, for a moment or two they are in the exact place you want, don't just keep walking along silently -- they just did it and they did it well -- PRAISE -- at the very least say "great dog, wow" in a sweet way as you walk along with them but if it was really a noteworthy heel sing "hurray!" give them a treat in the right spot and pet them or even break out of the exercise and run around with them. I often run back to the spot where we started the heel and ask them to heel again -- if I get a repeat performance (meaning my dog understood what I praised him for) I will stop training for some play time.
* Avoid eye contact when correcting your dog and when training your dog or teaching something new. Save direct eye contact with your dog for praise. When you praise your dog look directly in their eyes and tell them how great! they are. By doing this soon your dog will actively SEEK OUT eye contact with you --- instant attention!
(1) Dogs don't understand English. I know that seems obvious but I can't tell you how many times I see people use "down" and "lay down" interchangeably. Think about how these words sound -- if you didn't understand English would you guess these commands mean the same thing. What about "sit down" does that mean to sit and than to down or to ignore the first command sit and just to down (as you would for the "lay down" command). No in this case it means to ignore the second command and just to sit. --- CONFUSING.
Make sure your sure your commands are clear and consistent.
(2) Pick words for commands that sound different from one another and make sure to emphasis those differences. You don't have to use the word "sit" for you sit command you can use "frog" your dog won't know the difference. However you do want to pick a word that you will remember. If you do choose command words that sound very similar like "sit" "stand" "stay" think about ways to say them so they sound different to your dog. I say "sit" in a fast and short tone with emphasis on the "s". I say "stAND" in a slower, lower tone with emphasis on the "AND" I say STAY in a deep, slow tone with a long "Y" sound on the end. In addition I use hand signals for each of these commands which all look very different from one another.
(3) Your tone of voice and body posture. Dogs understand body language much much better than they understand spoken language. However they can also be very receptive to our tone of voice. So use both of these elements to your advantage.
Command::: When you give a command make contact with your dog -- get their attention and make sure they are looking at you, keep your body relaxed, give a nice strong hand signal (try not to give much other movement) at the same time give the verbal command in a clear concise way.
Praise:::: If your dog responds in the desired way -- praise. Let your body relax even more, you may touch the dog in a playful way, give verbal praise in a high sweet voice what you say doesn't really matter "good dog" is classic but you can use "good job" , "excellent", "yes" whatever, your sweet high tone is what matters.
I use different degrees of praise, for routine things I say "yes" in a sweet happy way and I may touch my dogs ears in a way they like. If they do something they have had trouble with or at a time I know they are distracted (i.e. a really long down stay, a sit with a dog barking next to them) or if they do something really well (i.e. a really fast straight down with attention) than I raise my level of praise I say "excellent" (a longer word than "yes") I say it in a higher tone of voice. I usually let me dogs run around in a little circle with me or jump on me (which they like to do) or I give them a treat. Lastly if I have taught my dog something new and they are little confused but perform it right I raise the praise level yet again. I throw my hands up and sing, I run around with them, and I let them release the pressure they felt by having to think through the complicated exercise they just performed by breaking into a game of fetch or tug or whatever else they like.
What matters most is that you use a high sweet sing song tone.
Correction :::: When using verbal corrections, stiffen your body, look down at your dogs (but avoid making eye contact with them!*), say "OOPS" "NO" "AH" whatever word you choose but say it immediately when the mistake happens and say it in a low, deep, short tone. Than relax your body, get your dog back into position and try to give the command again this time give the command in a firmer and more clear way.
As you begin to eliminate constant food rewards your voice becomes critical since it is now the only way your dog knows if he is right or wrong. In order for your dog to want to work for your verbal praise alone it has to become something great that is worth getting, perhaps something that is better than food or toys.
One last thought: Be very conscience of what tone of voice you are using and when you are using it.
Example 1: If your dog is not paying attention to you but rather is staring at a dog in the other ring DON'T stand their calling his name in a sweet gentle voice -- if you do this you are PRAISING for what he is doing. Rather give your dog a command like "watch me" or "leave it" if your dog responds to that command now you can praise and praise a lot! since this was a hard thing to do, if your dog does not respond use a correction.
Example 2: If you tell your dog to heel and your dog is doing a wonderful job, for a moment or two they are in the exact place you want, don't just keep walking along silently -- they just did it and they did it well -- PRAISE -- at the very least say "great dog, wow" in a sweet way as you walk along with them but if it was really a noteworthy heel sing "hurray!" give them a treat in the right spot and pet them or even break out of the exercise and run around with them. I often run back to the spot where we started the heel and ask them to heel again -- if I get a repeat performance (meaning my dog understood what I praised him for) I will stop training for some play time.
* Avoid eye contact when correcting your dog and when training your dog or teaching something new. Save direct eye contact with your dog for praise. When you praise your dog look directly in their eyes and tell them how great! they are. By doing this soon your dog will actively SEEK OUT eye contact with you --- instant attention!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More ways to Teach Scent Discrimination
I wrote about "Teaching Scent Articles" on May 7 2009. This post is intended to be a continuation of that discussion.
Here are some more methods for teaching scent discrimination (or scent articles):
* CLICK 'N' SNIFF - CLICKER TRAINING FOR SCENT DISCRIMINATION
by Deb Jones
* SIMPLY SCENTING
by Dawn Jecs
* EXTENSION OF THE "FIND IT" GAME:
I briefly mentioned this method in my first post about "Teaching Scent Articles" on May 7 2009. For the sake of being complete I will now describe this method in more detail below. First, however, a word of caution: I taught Rosco scent discrimination using this technique and it worked well. Once the learning phase was over and Rosco was working the entire pile of articles in a formal setting he did fine for a while and than he started to make mistakes and choosing the wrong article (I suspect the articles had not aired well and he was confused by yesterday's scent on another article). What I would ordinarily do in this situation would be to simplify the exercise by going back to the last step of the teaching process. However because of how this technique is taught that is not an easy thing to do and Rosco's problems kept getting worse until I finally gave up and re-taught scent discrimination using the tie down method. So please keep in mind as you read through this technique that even though it is fun to teach, it can be hard to work with in practice, since it doesn't give you many options for simplification.
Start by:
Teaching the "find it" game as described by Carol Lea Benjamin in "Dog Training in 10 minutes".
Briefly:
(1) Leave the dog in a sit/stay, show him a cookie, let him "smell it" if you like, place the cookie on the floor a few feet from the dog, where he can see it, and release the dog to the cookie using the command "find it". Repeat step 1 a few times.
(2) Next place the cookie behind a chair, let the dog watch you place it there. Now the dog knows where the cookie is but can't see it from the spot where he is in a sit/stay. Release the dog to the cookie using "find it". Repeat step 2 a few times, also hide the cookie behind and other objects other than the chair.
(3) The next step is to hide the cookie in another room, such that the dog no longer sees where the cookie is hidden and must search for it. Do this in the same way as above. When the dog is good at this try hiding the cookie up on furniture and under couch cushions (caution: some dogs will dig).
Steps 1 -3 are described in more detail in Carol Lea Benjamin's book (once dogs know this "find it" game most really enjoy playing it. All three of mine search for cookies for hours on rainy afternoons). Once you notice that on your "find it" cue your dog is using his nose to search out the cookie you are ready for the next step.
(4) Instead of using a cookie, use a toy instead. "Scent" the toy (scent it by holding it and rubbing it for as long as you need to ensure it smells like you). I like to start by using unscented nylabones. Follow the same steps 1-3 above using the scented toy instead of the cookie.
You can do this with many different objects. Eventually you will want to use a scented metal (or leather) article. Again go through steps 1-3 above using the scented article.
(5) Now to transition to the pile. Make a "pile" of toys, that resembles the "pile" of articles used in the ring (meaning their are no more than 10 out there and they are about 6 inches apart). Place the scented article (that you have already done step 1-3 with) among the toys and ask your dog to find the scented article using the cue "find it", which your dog should already understand means "smell it out". Place the article while your dog is watching you place it and while his back is turn or he is in the next room. When you give the "find it" command your dog should know right away what he is being asked to do.
(6) Finally place the scented article among a group, or in a pile, of identical unscented articles. Your dog should easily be able to figure out what you want him to do. Now you are ready to start formalizing this behavior into something you can take into the ring.
Here are some more methods for teaching scent discrimination (or scent articles):
* CLICK 'N' SNIFF - CLICKER TRAINING FOR SCENT DISCRIMINATION
by Deb Jones
* SIMPLY SCENTING
by Dawn Jecs
* EXTENSION OF THE "FIND IT" GAME:
I briefly mentioned this method in my first post about "Teaching Scent Articles" on May 7 2009. For the sake of being complete I will now describe this method in more detail below. First, however, a word of caution: I taught Rosco scent discrimination using this technique and it worked well. Once the learning phase was over and Rosco was working the entire pile of articles in a formal setting he did fine for a while and than he started to make mistakes and choosing the wrong article (I suspect the articles had not aired well and he was confused by yesterday's scent on another article). What I would ordinarily do in this situation would be to simplify the exercise by going back to the last step of the teaching process. However because of how this technique is taught that is not an easy thing to do and Rosco's problems kept getting worse until I finally gave up and re-taught scent discrimination using the tie down method. So please keep in mind as you read through this technique that even though it is fun to teach, it can be hard to work with in practice, since it doesn't give you many options for simplification.
Start by:
Teaching the "find it" game as described by Carol Lea Benjamin in "Dog Training in 10 minutes".
Briefly:
(1) Leave the dog in a sit/stay, show him a cookie, let him "smell it" if you like, place the cookie on the floor a few feet from the dog, where he can see it, and release the dog to the cookie using the command "find it". Repeat step 1 a few times.
(2) Next place the cookie behind a chair, let the dog watch you place it there. Now the dog knows where the cookie is but can't see it from the spot where he is in a sit/stay. Release the dog to the cookie using "find it". Repeat step 2 a few times, also hide the cookie behind and other objects other than the chair.
(3) The next step is to hide the cookie in another room, such that the dog no longer sees where the cookie is hidden and must search for it. Do this in the same way as above. When the dog is good at this try hiding the cookie up on furniture and under couch cushions (caution: some dogs will dig).
Steps 1 -3 are described in more detail in Carol Lea Benjamin's book (once dogs know this "find it" game most really enjoy playing it. All three of mine search for cookies for hours on rainy afternoons). Once you notice that on your "find it" cue your dog is using his nose to search out the cookie you are ready for the next step.
(4) Instead of using a cookie, use a toy instead. "Scent" the toy (scent it by holding it and rubbing it for as long as you need to ensure it smells like you). I like to start by using unscented nylabones. Follow the same steps 1-3 above using the scented toy instead of the cookie.
You can do this with many different objects. Eventually you will want to use a scented metal (or leather) article. Again go through steps 1-3 above using the scented article.
(5) Now to transition to the pile. Make a "pile" of toys, that resembles the "pile" of articles used in the ring (meaning their are no more than 10 out there and they are about 6 inches apart). Place the scented article (that you have already done step 1-3 with) among the toys and ask your dog to find the scented article using the cue "find it", which your dog should already understand means "smell it out". Place the article while your dog is watching you place it and while his back is turn or he is in the next room. When you give the "find it" command your dog should know right away what he is being asked to do.
(6) Finally place the scented article among a group, or in a pile, of identical unscented articles. Your dog should easily be able to figure out what you want him to do. Now you are ready to start formalizing this behavior into something you can take into the ring.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Just for Fun: Games Designed to Practice for CGC
The following games were designed specifically to strengthen skills needed to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC).
(1) STAY GAME
Dogs sit in a line against one side of the ring. The instructor issues a challenge, dogs that fail to perform the challenge move to the opposite side of the ring, dogs that succeed are praised and participate in the next challenge. (Dogs that failed and moved to the opposite side of the ring are still encouraged to do the challenges even though they are no longer eligible to win).
Challenges:
(a) 5 seconds to down dog
(b) 5 seconds to sit dog
(c) sit dog / tell them stay/ step in front / 1 minute
(d) down dog / tell them stay / step in front / 1 minute
(e) 3 seconds to down dog
(f) 3 seconds to sit dog
(g) down dog/ tell them stay / step in front/ instructor walks around and in between dogs
(h) sit dog/ tell them stay / step in front / instructor walks around and touches each dog
(i) put leash on "dead ring" or buckle collar, sit dog /tell them stay/ step in front / pull forward on the leash
(j) down dog / tell them stay / step in front/ handler talks sweetly to dog "good dog" "nice" with out giving release word, dog should hold the stay.
(*) if more challenge is needed try: doing the above with out treats, pushing for faster sits and downs ~1 second, or moving further and further away from the dog, or even doing jumping jacks in front of the dog.
(2) DOG-GREET-DOG GAME
The class splits up into group of 2. They have ~5 minutes to practice doing dog-greet-dog with each other trying to get it perfect.
After practice each team gets two chances to do dog-greet-dog. If a tie needs to be broken teams should be reshuffled and new partners should demonstrate dog-greet-dog.
(3) LOOSE LEASH WALKING GAME
A square course is laid out. Side 1 of the course consists of 4 fly-ball poles or jump standards, which the teams are required to weave through, Side 2 of the course consists of 2 chairs oriented perpendicular to the path of the dog-handler, the team is required to make a figure 8 around the chairs, Side 3 of the course consists of 2 cones, the team is required to make a full right circle around the first cone and a full left circle around the second cone, Side 4 consists of 2 chalk lines, teams are required to down at the first chalk line and to sit at the second chalk line.
Teams begin with a perfect score, teams lose 1 point every time the leash becomes tight. Team with the highest score wins. You may divide the class into A, B & C (A - first time, B - this dog's first time but handler has CGC on another dog, C - this dog has CGC)
(4) RECALL GAME
The handler leaves the dog in a stay / walks away / turns around / and on the instructors cue, calls the dog. If the dog fails to come the team is eliminated. If the dog succeeds the team goes to the next round. Each round has a new progressively more tempting distraction.
(a) just a straight recall
(b) recall with a strange person standing in the way
(c) recall with toy on the ground
(d) with food on the ground
(e) with person walking across the path
(f) with strange dog standing in path (EXTREME CARE NEEDED)
(g) recall with handler facing away from the dog
(h) someone else calling the dog at the same time the handler does.
These Games cover all parts of the CGC except for the first 3 greeting exercises(which I suggest the teacher or assistants do with each dog individually during the other games), walking through a milling crowd(which is an attention-around-people exercise, and attention-around-people is tested in these games), reaction to distraction(which is a distraction exercise and distractions are tested in these games), and supervised separation which is mildly to very stressful for dogs and which I prefer to not make any more challenging for the dogs.
Enjoy.
(1) STAY GAME
Dogs sit in a line against one side of the ring. The instructor issues a challenge, dogs that fail to perform the challenge move to the opposite side of the ring, dogs that succeed are praised and participate in the next challenge. (Dogs that failed and moved to the opposite side of the ring are still encouraged to do the challenges even though they are no longer eligible to win).
Challenges:
(a) 5 seconds to down dog
(b) 5 seconds to sit dog
(c) sit dog / tell them stay/ step in front / 1 minute
(d) down dog / tell them stay / step in front / 1 minute
(e) 3 seconds to down dog
(f) 3 seconds to sit dog
(g) down dog/ tell them stay / step in front/ instructor walks around and in between dogs
(h) sit dog/ tell them stay / step in front / instructor walks around and touches each dog
(i) put leash on "dead ring" or buckle collar, sit dog /tell them stay/ step in front / pull forward on the leash
(j) down dog / tell them stay / step in front/ handler talks sweetly to dog "good dog" "nice" with out giving release word, dog should hold the stay.
(*) if more challenge is needed try: doing the above with out treats, pushing for faster sits and downs ~1 second, or moving further and further away from the dog, or even doing jumping jacks in front of the dog.
(2) DOG-GREET-DOG GAME
The class splits up into group of 2. They have ~5 minutes to practice doing dog-greet-dog with each other trying to get it perfect.
After practice each team gets two chances to do dog-greet-dog. If a tie needs to be broken teams should be reshuffled and new partners should demonstrate dog-greet-dog.
(3) LOOSE LEASH WALKING GAME
A square course is laid out. Side 1 of the course consists of 4 fly-ball poles or jump standards, which the teams are required to weave through, Side 2 of the course consists of 2 chairs oriented perpendicular to the path of the dog-handler, the team is required to make a figure 8 around the chairs, Side 3 of the course consists of 2 cones, the team is required to make a full right circle around the first cone and a full left circle around the second cone, Side 4 consists of 2 chalk lines, teams are required to down at the first chalk line and to sit at the second chalk line.
Teams begin with a perfect score, teams lose 1 point every time the leash becomes tight. Team with the highest score wins. You may divide the class into A, B & C (A - first time, B - this dog's first time but handler has CGC on another dog, C - this dog has CGC)
(4) RECALL GAME
The handler leaves the dog in a stay / walks away / turns around / and on the instructors cue, calls the dog. If the dog fails to come the team is eliminated. If the dog succeeds the team goes to the next round. Each round has a new progressively more tempting distraction.
(a) just a straight recall
(b) recall with a strange person standing in the way
(c) recall with toy on the ground
(d) with food on the ground
(e) with person walking across the path
(f) with strange dog standing in path (EXTREME CARE NEEDED)
(g) recall with handler facing away from the dog
(h) someone else calling the dog at the same time the handler does.
These Games cover all parts of the CGC except for the first 3 greeting exercises(which I suggest the teacher or assistants do with each dog individually during the other games), walking through a milling crowd(which is an attention-around-people exercise, and attention-around-people is tested in these games), reaction to distraction(which is a distraction exercise and distractions are tested in these games), and supervised separation which is mildly to very stressful for dogs and which I prefer to not make any more challenging for the dogs.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Six Different Ways To Teach Retrieving
There may be "50 ways to leave your lover" but there are "6 ways to teach your dog to retrieve".
My 2 cents: In my opinion the retrieve is the first obedience exercise you will encounter in the Novice-Open-Utility progression that takes more thought and planning than just "doing what seems to make sense". Other obedience exercises you have taught to your dog so far may have taken the dog some time to learn to do well, like heeling, but for the most part any way you could think to teach them, including having no plan at all and just dragging your dog around the ring for-long-enough-that-he-finally-understands-what-to-do, have probably worked. The retrieve is not like that.
To teach a retrieve in a efficient way you must (1) decide on a technique (I have listed and described six different techniques below) and you must (2) be willing to stick with it for long enough. Now there is a lot to be said for realizing that what you are doing is not working and trying something else. However please understand that the retrieve can take many months to teach so you must be willing to give any technique you decide to use a chance. And you must devote some serious training time to it. It took me a whole month to get Rosco to take the dumbbell, 30 days working twice a day. So depending on the technique you choose, and the dog you have, be willing to spend some time teaching the retrieve.
The more planning you do before beginning the teaching process the more clear and fair you will be to your dog and the faster and more fun the teaching process will be. To help you plan I have listed 6 different ways to teach the retrieve below and described them briefly. Choose the method (or even combination of methods) that you think will work best for your dog and for yourself (if you are not going to be comfortable doing an ear pinch please don't choose to teach a force retrieve). When choosing a method really think about WHO your dog is. Is he stubborn? Does he already retrieve for fun? Is he toy motivated? Food motivated? What do you think your dog's biggest problem with the retrieve (doing it correctly in the ring) will be? Going out slowly to pick it up or not wanting to pick it up? sniffing around instead? Going out too fast not waiting for you to release him? playing with the dumbbell, hitting it with his feet, picking it up "wrong" (usually means by the bells instead of in the middle)? Not coming back to you with the dumbbell? Running away with it? Dropping it? Mouthing it?
Each technique below has pros and cons so when deciding on what method to use it is important to match your dog's weaknesses (problems you anticipate the dog may have) with the techniques strengths (the pros of the technique). For example if you think your dog will likely pounce on, play with, or kick the dumbbell around when he gets to it DON'T choose the play retrieve which can often exacerbate this behavior choose another method, perhaps an Inductive retrieve instead. My three dogs are very different so I taught the retrieve three different ways (methods below marked with * are methods I used to train my dogs).
Six Different Ways to Teach a Retrieve (in no particular order):
(1) Motivational Retrieve
(2) Inductive Retrieve
(3) Play Retrieve
(4) Force Retrieve
(5) Shaped Retrieve
(6) Fly-ball Retrieve
More Details About Each Method:
(1) Motivational Retrieve*
This method uses a clicker (or other conditional reinforcer like saying "yes") to free shape the retrieve behavior. Briefly: you begin by laying the dumbbell (or other object) on the ground and "click" for any interaction the dog has with it, including just looking at it, than you slowly increase the criteria (requiring more from the dog before you click) for example next you only "click" when the dog puts his nose on the bar of the dumbbell (ignoring when he puts his nose on the bells), than when he picks it up, etc...
The Pros:
*This method is a good choice is you already do some clicker work with your dog and your dog is comfortable offering you behaviors and interacting with objects on their own.
*This method also works well if you find yourself needing to "re-teach" the retrieve because your dog "hates" the dumbbell. By letting him interact with it on his own, without pushing it into his mouth, or forcing him to hold etc... The dog's confidence will return, he will be able to do everything at his own pace, and he will begin to believe picking up the dumbbell is his own idea.
The Cons:
*Your dog must be either clicker trained or have some prior exposure to a conditional reinforcer before beginning this method.
*This method takes a long time and may even take a VERY long time. Remember it is important for the dog to FIGURE IT OUT by himself. Depending on your dog that may take a long time.
*Also be aware of the fact that this method is based on the dumbbell pick up being the dog's idea, so it always leaves the door open, that in the ring, under pressure your dog may "decide" not to retrieve the dumbbell.
I personally like to teach the motivational retrieve in combination with another retrieve method like the inductive or play retrieve (again depending on your dog). The motivational retrieve has worked very well for me as a way to teach HOLD in the past. I also like incorporating some of the corrections used in the Shaped Retrieve with this method so that I have some type of correction available to me should I ever need it.
Note: A Motivational Retrieve always involves a clicker or other conditional reinforcer. However there are several other retrieve methods out there that teach the dog to retrieve in a motivational way that you may hear people refer to as a "motivational retrieve" (especially in Schutzhund) don't get confused.
A wonderful and very detailed explanation of all the steps of the motivation retrieve are available at:
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html
Here is a video of a motivational retrieve being taught using a verbal conditional reinforcer (rather than a clicker):
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2500585/shaping_a_motivational_trained_retrieve_labrador_puppy/
(2) Inductive Retrieve*
This method uses a series of steps by which you are manipulating the dog, the dumbbell and labeling and rewarding each part. For example you place the dumbbell in the dogs mouth and label that action, TAKE IT, and reward it. Than ask the dog to keep his mouth still and label that moment with HOLD, than reward it.
The Pros:
* By labeling every part of the retrieve, you have a way to very clearly communicate with your dog and explain to them which part you didn't like, and therefore you can correct the dog fairly.
* It keeps the retrieve a SERIOUS exercise, and establishes that when it comes to the dumbbell, the dog is working and that there are certain things you expect.
The Cons:
* Your dog must be comfortable with you touching, opening, and holding their mouth. If this is a negative thing for them than having something in their mouth will take on a negative connotation and that defeats the purpose.
* This technique creates little to no "drive" out to the dumbbell.
I really like this method. It not flashy or particularly fun but for the right dog it can work well. It worked really well for me. My dog understood it well. I especially like this technique for NATURAL RETRIEVERS since it establishes the dumbbell retrieve as serious business. I also like this method in combo with the forced retrieve since it lays a good foundation before the force is introduced.
The booklet below lays out all the steps for teaching the Inductive Retrieve:
A GUIDE TO THE INDUCTIVE RETRIEVE, REVISED
by Sue Sternberg
(3) Play Retrieve*
This method is based on teaching a fun (play retrieve) and than refining it into a formal obedience retrieve. First you build desire for a given toy (or two toys) and you throw one and when the dog picks it up, you throw the other. Than you start asking your dog to come to you with the toy and when they do YOU DON'T GRAB THE TOY FROM THEM, instead you lavishly praise the dog (preferable with toy still in his mouth) and you throw a second toy. Finally you start trading the dog the toy for a treat, and lastly you start refining everything so that it all looks more formal.
The Pros:
* This technique builds love for the retrieving game and the object being thrown
* Many people already have a play retrieve that their dog can do so they won't be starting at ground zero.
The Cons:
* This method teaches that the retrieve is first and foremost a game, and it can be very difficult to convince the dog that he must take the retrieve SERIOUSLY in the ring later.
* This method relies on the object being THROWN. This can be a problem later in utility when the dog is asked to retrieve objects that were not thrown (gloves and scent articles).
* By trying to build a formal obedience retrieve from the play retrieve that your dog may already be doing at home, you intertwine the two behaviors in the dog's mind. This can make it very confusing for him later. If your dog is already retrieving objects, and mouthing some of them and playing with other ones, and dropping them at will, and picking them up in a manner of his own choosing, by formalizing that behavior how do you explain to the dog when he is allowed to choose and when he has to do it your way? By leaving this as a grey area in the dog's mind you are asking for trouble. Consider these questions: Why is he not allowed to mouth here but can mouth the object there? Why must he sit in front of you holding the object here but not there? etc...
* In addition this method does little to "teach" the dog what you expect of them and how every part of the exercise should look. Instead you let him determine how his own joyful interaction with the dumbbell will look, and in fact you rewarded the dog for offering different ones each time. One time he pounces on the dumbbell, another time he throws it around, etc... You must therefore take great care when you are working to make the retrieve formal that you are not "correcting" the dog for things you never "taught" him.
I think the play retrieve method is a good method to use in combo with any other method. When I teach a force retrieve, I often also teach a play retrieve along side it to keep my dogs happy about the game. Contrary to what you might be thinking to yourself the play retrieve method is the WRONG choice for most NATURAL RETRIEVERS mainly for the reason listed in the CONS section above.
Here is a video showing how to start teaching a play retrieve:
http://www.maryland-dog-training.com/2008/01/teach-your-pup-to-retrieve-motivational.html
A wonderful web site laying out a good way to teach a play retrieve:
http://www.nwk9.com/twosqueakies.htm
(4) Force Retrieve (the Ear Pinch method)*
The idea behind this method is to train, through the use of some form of compulsion, a dog to pick up an object quickly and cleanly. The form of compulsion used can be an ear pinch or toe hitch or any other unpleasant-feeling the dog is trying to alleviate. The dog learns that the retrieve is no laughing matter and he learns that when told to retrieve he MUST do it.
The Pros:
* A very straight forward and widely used method (it was the method of choice for many years in obedience training). It is easy to find books about it, trainers who can help you with it, and it is easy for dogs to understand when it is done right.
* It works fast. If you want your dog retrieving as soon as possible this is likely the best choice.
* It creates lots of drive in the dog for the dumbbell and when done right will result in a dog that focuses on and will pick up the dumbbell every time in any situation.
* It gives you a correction to use when the dog makes a mistake. And the dog has an understand of that correction and how to make it stop since it was used as part of the teaching process. This can be especially useful when training for utility, both because in utility retrieve, objects are no longer thrown (gloves and scent articles) and objects may be unpleasant (metal articles) or too pleasant (gloves) to pick up.
The Cons:
* Many people are uncomfortable using this training method. You must be comfortable with it in order to use it effectively.
* It can create too much drive and anxiety in some dogs, such that the dog is almost "shaking" on-the-line (when he is sitting next to you before you send him for the dumbbell). These dogs can't think about anything else and will often "break" (run out before sent).
* This technique only teaches the "leave my side and pick up the dumbbell quickly and cleanly" part. It does little or nothing to address how or if the dog comes back to you with the dumbbell or whether or not they HOLD the dumbbell well.
* This method takes a semi-experienced eye to know how much compulsion to use, too much pressure may crush a dogs spirit, too little will confuse the dog.
I think when it is done right a forced retrieve is a wonderful thing. But when it is done wrong there is nothing worse. Don't just start pinching your dog please research this method and write down some steps for yourself or work with a trainer. This method is very useful for stubborn dogs or dogs that need to be convinced that picking up the dumbbell is their idea. If the dog enjoys working with you and can think their way through pressure this is a good method to try. You may hear people say "that if you want a reliable retrieve you must force break (which means teach a force retrieve) to your dog." It is true that guide dog agencies (that require the dog to pick up cold keys that were dropped into a mud puddle every time when the handler asks the dog too) and people training field dogs (that require their dog's to pick up 12 ducks in any type of weather at 100 yards) almost always teach dogs forced retrieves. However, for a reliable obedience retrieve I don't think a forced retrieve is necessary. I have seen dogs mess up the retrieve in the ring who were not forced fetched (another name for a forced retrieve) and I have seen dogs mess up the retrieve in the ring who were force fetched. One of my dogs was taught to retrieve using this method and my other two were not, yet all of them have equally reliable retrieves.
Many people, books, and tapes can describe the force retrieve to you, my favorite is probably:
Connie Cleveland, either her book or videos entitled "Dogs are Problem Solvers Handlers Should be", and better yet attending one of her seminars if you get the chance: http://www.dogtrainersworkshop.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=80
(5) Shaped Retrieve
The shaped retrieve method is very similar to the motivation retrieve method, with a few minor differences. Including some physical holding of the dogs muzzle like those used in the inductive retrieve, and teaching the "take" and the "hold" separately from one another.
The Pros:
* This method does not use force or play drive.
* This method really "teaches" the dogs every step of the retrieve process and that he must take the retrieve SERIOUSLY.
The Cons:
* Because this method does not have any inherent corrections you must make an effort to develop some on your own.
* There is no drive for the dumbbell created in this method.
* Your dog must be comfortable with you physically manipulating him.
* Your dog must have had some prior exposure to a conditional reinforcer.
Though I have never used it myself. I find this technique to be a nice blend between the inductive retrieve and the motivational retrieve. If you decide to teach the shaped retrieve you will have to be creative when you are looking for corrections you can use. Since you won't be teaching corrections you will have to find something that your dog understands "naturally" like: a push on the back of the dog's head, a collar pop, or a goose on the dog's rear.
This method is well presented and sketch out in a logical progression in:
Positively Fetching: Teaching the Obedience Retrieves Using Food
by Adele Yunck and Judy Byron which is available as book or a video.
(6) Fly-ball Retrieve (Backwards chain retrieve)
This method starts with the last step of the retrieve (dog sitting in front position you asking dog to GIVE or OUT dumbbell) and works backwards to the dog driving for the dumbbell (on your TAKE IT or FETCH command). The "teaching" of this retrieve resembles the motivation or shaped retrieve method only the order of the steps is reversed.
The Pros:
* By teaching the OUT and the HOLD commands first you have built a good foundation for the TAKE IT command. (more on this below)
* With the right dog this can be a simple and quick way to teach the retrieve
The Cons:
* Creates little drive for the dumbbell
* Your dog must have some inherent "interest" in the object you are using to teach this technique with or it won't work.
* Since you are using food and toys your dog must be able to "think" in this environment and not fixate on either the toys or food.
I find this method fascinating and though I have never used it myself this is the way I intend to teach my next dog to retrieve (perhaps in combination with another method above - depending on my dog of course). One of the biggest struggles people face when teaching their dog to retrieve is: they ask the dog to TAKE IT, the dog does, they now want to praise and reward so they either:
* ask the dog to OUT and/or HOLD before praising and rewarding
* quickly remove the dumbbell from the dogs mouth, praise and reward
* ignore the HOLD and praise the dog with the dumbell in mouth for the TAKE.
Any of these ways can create confusion for the dog. In these instances a conditional reinforcer (like a clicker) may help you. However by using the Fly-ball or Backward Chain retrieve by the time you are teaching the TAKE you have already taught the dog to HOLD and OUT. This is a nice way of removing a lot of the confusion.
Here is an explaination of the Fly-ball or Backward Chain retrieve method:
http://flyballdogs.com/training.html#easy_retrieve
Last but not least, this is FUN. Most dogs love to retrieve, even if they must be taught the game. Most people love to play this game with their dogs. So enjoy it. If you dread the dumbbell your dog will too.
My 2 cents: In my opinion the retrieve is the first obedience exercise you will encounter in the Novice-Open-Utility progression that takes more thought and planning than just "doing what seems to make sense". Other obedience exercises you have taught to your dog so far may have taken the dog some time to learn to do well, like heeling, but for the most part any way you could think to teach them, including having no plan at all and just dragging your dog around the ring for-long-enough-that-he-finally-understands-what-to-do, have probably worked. The retrieve is not like that.
To teach a retrieve in a efficient way you must (1) decide on a technique (I have listed and described six different techniques below) and you must (2) be willing to stick with it for long enough. Now there is a lot to be said for realizing that what you are doing is not working and trying something else. However please understand that the retrieve can take many months to teach so you must be willing to give any technique you decide to use a chance. And you must devote some serious training time to it. It took me a whole month to get Rosco to take the dumbbell, 30 days working twice a day. So depending on the technique you choose, and the dog you have, be willing to spend some time teaching the retrieve.
The more planning you do before beginning the teaching process the more clear and fair you will be to your dog and the faster and more fun the teaching process will be. To help you plan I have listed 6 different ways to teach the retrieve below and described them briefly. Choose the method (or even combination of methods) that you think will work best for your dog and for yourself (if you are not going to be comfortable doing an ear pinch please don't choose to teach a force retrieve). When choosing a method really think about WHO your dog is. Is he stubborn? Does he already retrieve for fun? Is he toy motivated? Food motivated? What do you think your dog's biggest problem with the retrieve (doing it correctly in the ring) will be? Going out slowly to pick it up or not wanting to pick it up? sniffing around instead? Going out too fast not waiting for you to release him? playing with the dumbbell, hitting it with his feet, picking it up "wrong" (usually means by the bells instead of in the middle)? Not coming back to you with the dumbbell? Running away with it? Dropping it? Mouthing it?
Each technique below has pros and cons so when deciding on what method to use it is important to match your dog's weaknesses (problems you anticipate the dog may have) with the techniques strengths (the pros of the technique). For example if you think your dog will likely pounce on, play with, or kick the dumbbell around when he gets to it DON'T choose the play retrieve which can often exacerbate this behavior choose another method, perhaps an Inductive retrieve instead. My three dogs are very different so I taught the retrieve three different ways (methods below marked with * are methods I used to train my dogs).
Six Different Ways to Teach a Retrieve (in no particular order):
(1) Motivational Retrieve
(2) Inductive Retrieve
(3) Play Retrieve
(4) Force Retrieve
(5) Shaped Retrieve
(6) Fly-ball Retrieve
More Details About Each Method:
(1) Motivational Retrieve*
This method uses a clicker (or other conditional reinforcer like saying "yes") to free shape the retrieve behavior. Briefly: you begin by laying the dumbbell (or other object) on the ground and "click" for any interaction the dog has with it, including just looking at it, than you slowly increase the criteria (requiring more from the dog before you click) for example next you only "click" when the dog puts his nose on the bar of the dumbbell (ignoring when he puts his nose on the bells), than when he picks it up, etc...
The Pros:
*This method is a good choice is you already do some clicker work with your dog and your dog is comfortable offering you behaviors and interacting with objects on their own.
*This method also works well if you find yourself needing to "re-teach" the retrieve because your dog "hates" the dumbbell. By letting him interact with it on his own, without pushing it into his mouth, or forcing him to hold etc... The dog's confidence will return, he will be able to do everything at his own pace, and he will begin to believe picking up the dumbbell is his own idea.
The Cons:
*Your dog must be either clicker trained or have some prior exposure to a conditional reinforcer before beginning this method.
*This method takes a long time and may even take a VERY long time. Remember it is important for the dog to FIGURE IT OUT by himself. Depending on your dog that may take a long time.
*Also be aware of the fact that this method is based on the dumbbell pick up being the dog's idea, so it always leaves the door open, that in the ring, under pressure your dog may "decide" not to retrieve the dumbbell.
I personally like to teach the motivational retrieve in combination with another retrieve method like the inductive or play retrieve (again depending on your dog). The motivational retrieve has worked very well for me as a way to teach HOLD in the past. I also like incorporating some of the corrections used in the Shaped Retrieve with this method so that I have some type of correction available to me should I ever need it.
Note: A Motivational Retrieve always involves a clicker or other conditional reinforcer. However there are several other retrieve methods out there that teach the dog to retrieve in a motivational way that you may hear people refer to as a "motivational retrieve" (especially in Schutzhund) don't get confused.
A wonderful and very detailed explanation of all the steps of the motivation retrieve are available at:
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html
Here is a video of a motivational retrieve being taught using a verbal conditional reinforcer (rather than a clicker):
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2500585/shaping_a_motivational_trained_retrieve_labrador_puppy/
(2) Inductive Retrieve*
This method uses a series of steps by which you are manipulating the dog, the dumbbell and labeling and rewarding each part. For example you place the dumbbell in the dogs mouth and label that action, TAKE IT, and reward it. Than ask the dog to keep his mouth still and label that moment with HOLD, than reward it.
The Pros:
* By labeling every part of the retrieve, you have a way to very clearly communicate with your dog and explain to them which part you didn't like, and therefore you can correct the dog fairly.
* It keeps the retrieve a SERIOUS exercise, and establishes that when it comes to the dumbbell, the dog is working and that there are certain things you expect.
The Cons:
* Your dog must be comfortable with you touching, opening, and holding their mouth. If this is a negative thing for them than having something in their mouth will take on a negative connotation and that defeats the purpose.
* This technique creates little to no "drive" out to the dumbbell.
I really like this method. It not flashy or particularly fun but for the right dog it can work well. It worked really well for me. My dog understood it well. I especially like this technique for NATURAL RETRIEVERS since it establishes the dumbbell retrieve as serious business. I also like this method in combo with the forced retrieve since it lays a good foundation before the force is introduced.
The booklet below lays out all the steps for teaching the Inductive Retrieve:
A GUIDE TO THE INDUCTIVE RETRIEVE, REVISED
by Sue Sternberg
(3) Play Retrieve*
This method is based on teaching a fun (play retrieve) and than refining it into a formal obedience retrieve. First you build desire for a given toy (or two toys) and you throw one and when the dog picks it up, you throw the other. Than you start asking your dog to come to you with the toy and when they do YOU DON'T GRAB THE TOY FROM THEM, instead you lavishly praise the dog (preferable with toy still in his mouth) and you throw a second toy. Finally you start trading the dog the toy for a treat, and lastly you start refining everything so that it all looks more formal.
The Pros:
* This technique builds love for the retrieving game and the object being thrown
* Many people already have a play retrieve that their dog can do so they won't be starting at ground zero.
The Cons:
* This method teaches that the retrieve is first and foremost a game, and it can be very difficult to convince the dog that he must take the retrieve SERIOUSLY in the ring later.
* This method relies on the object being THROWN. This can be a problem later in utility when the dog is asked to retrieve objects that were not thrown (gloves and scent articles).
* By trying to build a formal obedience retrieve from the play retrieve that your dog may already be doing at home, you intertwine the two behaviors in the dog's mind. This can make it very confusing for him later. If your dog is already retrieving objects, and mouthing some of them and playing with other ones, and dropping them at will, and picking them up in a manner of his own choosing, by formalizing that behavior how do you explain to the dog when he is allowed to choose and when he has to do it your way? By leaving this as a grey area in the dog's mind you are asking for trouble. Consider these questions: Why is he not allowed to mouth here but can mouth the object there? Why must he sit in front of you holding the object here but not there? etc...
* In addition this method does little to "teach" the dog what you expect of them and how every part of the exercise should look. Instead you let him determine how his own joyful interaction with the dumbbell will look, and in fact you rewarded the dog for offering different ones each time. One time he pounces on the dumbbell, another time he throws it around, etc... You must therefore take great care when you are working to make the retrieve formal that you are not "correcting" the dog for things you never "taught" him.
I think the play retrieve method is a good method to use in combo with any other method. When I teach a force retrieve, I often also teach a play retrieve along side it to keep my dogs happy about the game. Contrary to what you might be thinking to yourself the play retrieve method is the WRONG choice for most NATURAL RETRIEVERS mainly for the reason listed in the CONS section above.
Here is a video showing how to start teaching a play retrieve:
http://www.maryland-dog-training.com/2008/01/teach-your-pup-to-retrieve-motivational.html
A wonderful web site laying out a good way to teach a play retrieve:
http://www.nwk9.com/twosqueakies.htm
(4) Force Retrieve (the Ear Pinch method)*
The idea behind this method is to train, through the use of some form of compulsion, a dog to pick up an object quickly and cleanly. The form of compulsion used can be an ear pinch or toe hitch or any other unpleasant-feeling the dog is trying to alleviate. The dog learns that the retrieve is no laughing matter and he learns that when told to retrieve he MUST do it.
The Pros:
* A very straight forward and widely used method (it was the method of choice for many years in obedience training). It is easy to find books about it, trainers who can help you with it, and it is easy for dogs to understand when it is done right.
* It works fast. If you want your dog retrieving as soon as possible this is likely the best choice.
* It creates lots of drive in the dog for the dumbbell and when done right will result in a dog that focuses on and will pick up the dumbbell every time in any situation.
* It gives you a correction to use when the dog makes a mistake. And the dog has an understand of that correction and how to make it stop since it was used as part of the teaching process. This can be especially useful when training for utility, both because in utility retrieve, objects are no longer thrown (gloves and scent articles) and objects may be unpleasant (metal articles) or too pleasant (gloves) to pick up.
The Cons:
* Many people are uncomfortable using this training method. You must be comfortable with it in order to use it effectively.
* It can create too much drive and anxiety in some dogs, such that the dog is almost "shaking" on-the-line (when he is sitting next to you before you send him for the dumbbell). These dogs can't think about anything else and will often "break" (run out before sent).
* This technique only teaches the "leave my side and pick up the dumbbell quickly and cleanly" part. It does little or nothing to address how or if the dog comes back to you with the dumbbell or whether or not they HOLD the dumbbell well.
* This method takes a semi-experienced eye to know how much compulsion to use, too much pressure may crush a dogs spirit, too little will confuse the dog.
I think when it is done right a forced retrieve is a wonderful thing. But when it is done wrong there is nothing worse. Don't just start pinching your dog please research this method and write down some steps for yourself or work with a trainer. This method is very useful for stubborn dogs or dogs that need to be convinced that picking up the dumbbell is their idea. If the dog enjoys working with you and can think their way through pressure this is a good method to try. You may hear people say "that if you want a reliable retrieve you must force break (which means teach a force retrieve) to your dog." It is true that guide dog agencies (that require the dog to pick up cold keys that were dropped into a mud puddle every time when the handler asks the dog too) and people training field dogs (that require their dog's to pick up 12 ducks in any type of weather at 100 yards) almost always teach dogs forced retrieves. However, for a reliable obedience retrieve I don't think a forced retrieve is necessary. I have seen dogs mess up the retrieve in the ring who were not forced fetched (another name for a forced retrieve) and I have seen dogs mess up the retrieve in the ring who were force fetched. One of my dogs was taught to retrieve using this method and my other two were not, yet all of them have equally reliable retrieves.
Many people, books, and tapes can describe the force retrieve to you, my favorite is probably:
Connie Cleveland, either her book or videos entitled "Dogs are Problem Solvers Handlers Should be", and better yet attending one of her seminars if you get the chance: http://www.dogtrainersworkshop.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=80
(5) Shaped Retrieve
The shaped retrieve method is very similar to the motivation retrieve method, with a few minor differences. Including some physical holding of the dogs muzzle like those used in the inductive retrieve, and teaching the "take" and the "hold" separately from one another.
The Pros:
* This method does not use force or play drive.
* This method really "teaches" the dogs every step of the retrieve process and that he must take the retrieve SERIOUSLY.
The Cons:
* Because this method does not have any inherent corrections you must make an effort to develop some on your own.
* There is no drive for the dumbbell created in this method.
* Your dog must be comfortable with you physically manipulating him.
* Your dog must have had some prior exposure to a conditional reinforcer.
Though I have never used it myself. I find this technique to be a nice blend between the inductive retrieve and the motivational retrieve. If you decide to teach the shaped retrieve you will have to be creative when you are looking for corrections you can use. Since you won't be teaching corrections you will have to find something that your dog understands "naturally" like: a push on the back of the dog's head, a collar pop, or a goose on the dog's rear.
This method is well presented and sketch out in a logical progression in:
Positively Fetching: Teaching the Obedience Retrieves Using Food
by Adele Yunck and Judy Byron which is available as book or a video.
(6) Fly-ball Retrieve (Backwards chain retrieve)
This method starts with the last step of the retrieve (dog sitting in front position you asking dog to GIVE or OUT dumbbell) and works backwards to the dog driving for the dumbbell (on your TAKE IT or FETCH command). The "teaching" of this retrieve resembles the motivation or shaped retrieve method only the order of the steps is reversed.
The Pros:
* By teaching the OUT and the HOLD commands first you have built a good foundation for the TAKE IT command. (more on this below)
* With the right dog this can be a simple and quick way to teach the retrieve
The Cons:
* Creates little drive for the dumbbell
* Your dog must have some inherent "interest" in the object you are using to teach this technique with or it won't work.
* Since you are using food and toys your dog must be able to "think" in this environment and not fixate on either the toys or food.
I find this method fascinating and though I have never used it myself this is the way I intend to teach my next dog to retrieve (perhaps in combination with another method above - depending on my dog of course). One of the biggest struggles people face when teaching their dog to retrieve is: they ask the dog to TAKE IT, the dog does, they now want to praise and reward so they either:
* ask the dog to OUT and/or HOLD before praising and rewarding
* quickly remove the dumbbell from the dogs mouth, praise and reward
* ignore the HOLD and praise the dog with the dumbell in mouth for the TAKE.
Any of these ways can create confusion for the dog. In these instances a conditional reinforcer (like a clicker) may help you. However by using the Fly-ball or Backward Chain retrieve by the time you are teaching the TAKE you have already taught the dog to HOLD and OUT. This is a nice way of removing a lot of the confusion.
Here is an explaination of the Fly-ball or Backward Chain retrieve method:
http://flyballdogs.com/training.html#easy_retrieve
Last but not least, this is FUN. Most dogs love to retrieve, even if they must be taught the game. Most people love to play this game with their dogs. So enjoy it. If you dread the dumbbell your dog will too.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Proper Gaiting for Heelwork
All four legged animals have 5 main gaits:
(1) walk
(2) trot (or pace)
(3) canter (also called a lope)
(4) gallop
(5) back
In obedience we are only concern with the first three; (1) walk, (2) trot, and (3) canter.
In a heel pattern ideally your dog will be trotting when in "normal pace", walking in "slow pace" and cantering in "fast pace". And ideally the transitions between these gaits (pace changes) will be smooth and seamless.
So first:
You must understand how these different gaits look (orient your dog in the "front" position and move backwards, lure the dog with a treat if you have to, try to observe your dog's walk, trot, and canter (provided you can run backwards fast enough) alternatively get your dog to walk, trot, and canter next to you as you take them around the ring, don't worry about heel position, just watch your dog's gaits):
(1) The walk is a four beat gait. All four feet will lift up off the ground individually.
(2) The trot is a 2 beat gait. The legs diagnol from each other will lift up off the ground together (for example: right front and left rear). If the legs on the same side of the dogs body are lifting up together (for example: right front and right rear) the dog is in a 2 beat gait but not in a trot, this non-diagonal 2 beat gait is called a pace.
(3) The canter is a 3 beat gait and it has a lead. Three of the dogs feet lift of the ground at the same time and the front feet lift up together, one front foot will be slightly in front of the other, this is known as the dogs lead foot or simply "lead". It is most likely that your dog will be on his left lead, that is because by being on the left lead the dog can most easily turn to his right and since you are on his right he will preferantially be cantering on his left lead.
Next you need to know how these different gaits feel when the dog is moving next to you (in heel position):
(1) Walking - Plodding. You can feel each foot indivially leave the ground.
(2) Trot - Bouncing. You will feel that the dog has a bouncy stride. If your dog is pacing instead of trotting, you will instead feel like the dog is rolling or leaning from side to side. Ideally you do not want your dog to pace since it will throw his balance off while heeling. Some people suggest that pacing indicates a strutural problem with the dog but I think some dogs (especially big dogs) pace naturally. You can sometimes teach a pacing dog to trot by first walking fast enough that the dog must trot (this is true because there is no such thing as an extended pace), once the dog is trotting with you, you can begin teaching the dog to collect his trot to the extent that you are able to walk at a comfortable speed again.
(3) Canter - Pounding. You will see the dogs front legs leave and hit the ground at the same time.
Another thing to know is that each of the above gaits can also be "collected" or "extended". Not only that, but each gait can be collected and extended to various extents. For example a very collected trot is known as a piaffe and a very extended trot is known as a spanish trot. Because these are very collected and very extended versions of the trot they look very exaggerated. However extending or collecting a gait to a lesser degree will result in less exaggeration. (The walk and canter can also be both collected and extended).
Below if video of a horse doing a piaffe which is a very collected trot. Notice that the horse's gait is the 2 beat diagonal trot gait but the horse is so collected that he can even preform this at a stand still.
Below is beautiful example of a horse doing a normal trot, followed by a collected trot, and finally a spanish trot which is a very extended trot. (If you are interested there is also video on youtube of this same horse doing a very collected canter, so collected in fact that at times he is moving backwards. Remember that all gaits can be both collected and extended to various degrees).
and of course dogs can do this too, here is a video that demonstarates a dog doing not only a collected and an extended trot but also some other fancy things like a "passage", spins, and weaves through legs.
Finding the Right Speed:
As you have just seen by collecting or extending a gait, any gait can be preformed at any speed (remember the video of the hourse doing a piaffe (collected trot) at a vertual stand still). In a heel pattern ideally you want your dog to trot in the normal pace transition to walk for slow, transition to canter for fast. However, the dog can do any gait at any speed with proper collection or extention, the most important things is CONSISTENCY. The dog must use the same gait with the same amout of collection or extention on each pace every time. Before demanding consistencey from your dog you must first ensure that you are walking evenly. I like to use a metronome (http://www.amazon.com/Korg-MA-30-Compact-Digital-Metronome/dp/B0002E2O2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1242257734&sr=8-1). I watch my dogs gaits and set the metronome to the number of beats per minute that best matches my dog's natural trot speed. With the metronome set to that specific number of beats per minute (usually > 100+ beats/minute). I find what will be my normal pace by letting each foot hit the ground with each beat from the metronome, "bing" - right foot, "bing" - left foot. This is my normal pace which matches my dogs normal trotting gait.
There are 2 ways to change your pace
(1) changing the length of your strides
(2) changing the speed of your leg turn-over
For my fast pace I (2) increase my leg turn-over. Still using the metronome I ensure that now my right foot will hit the ground on every beat from the metronome, "bing" - right foot, (silence) - left foot, "bing" - right foot. I keep the metronome beat the same I just increased how fast I am moving. This means I am going twice as fast. This is my fast pace.
For my slow pace I (1) decrease the length of my strides. Now each foot hits the ground with each beat from the metronome, "bing" - right foot, "bing" - left foot, just like for the normal pace but I decrease my stride length by 1/2 so in effect I am going slower. This is my slow pace.
Once I can evenly walk and reliably transition to what is now my normal, fast, and slow pace, (which are based on the normal trotting speed of the dog, and therefore are different for all three of my dogs!) I am now ready to begin heeling with my dog. (We are not teaching heeling here, the dog in question has already been taught how to heel).
* I practice heeling at the "normal" speed (which matches my dog's normal trot speed).
* I than begin to teach my dog how to collect and extend his gait by heeling lots of circles and spirals in both directions.
* I also will start to increase and decrease my speed (not to the slow and fast paces that I determined above) but to many different speeds in between the "normal" speed and the "fast" and "slow" determined previously that I will eventually use. This helps my dog learn to transition between gaits by giving him time to transition speeds.
* Teaching horses how to gait properly and how to extend and collect their gaits is quiet a bit more complex than this. I have played around with applying elements of how horses are taught to teaching dogs but for the most part I still teach my dogs these concepts by (a) ensuring I know how my dog's gaits look, (b) and what they feel like, (c) and what speeds I should be maintaining while heeling with this dog, and than (d) letting the dog (who already knows how to heel) figure out the rest.
* Eventually the dog will settle in and learn to adjust their gaits to the match my speed of walking.
* The goal is CONSISTENCY. I want the dog to use the same gait and the same amount of collection and or extension on each pace every time.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Heeling Starts
You are ready to begin the heeling pattern. You are waiting for the judge to say "forward", your dog is seated in heel positing looking up at you with attention, waiting for you to say "heel" and to take that first step forward, likely with your left foot, --"FORWARD" and.....
The first step (the start or heel-start) of a heeling pattern is an important but often overlooked topic.
Many dogs don't start heeling well.
* They don't start at the same time as the handler and than hurray to caught up,
* They start striding with their front legs but leave their back legs and rear behind, or
* They lurch forward along with the handler's first step, dropping their head.
For a dog to go from a sitting position with head up to a trotting position with head up is NOT easy, it requires a lot of practice and has to be taught to the dog. If you don't believe me try doing this yourself. Also it is worth pointing out that the head position a dog maintains when sitting by your side is different than the head position of that dog when he is standing (or trotting) if the dog is maintaining the same focus spot. So you are also asking the dog to CHANGE head position here.
Even so these ugly bobbles at the beginning of the heel pattern are not necessary.
The dog must do Three Things to have a beautiful heel-start.
The dog must:
(1) Maintaining head position
(2) Push up an forward using their rear (using back legs)
(3) Hustle (go immediately from stationary position to a trot)
There are many methods to teach a dog heel-starts, however few of these methods address all three issues above.
The method I have found most useful for teaching heel-starts, that addresses all three of the above issues, is to teach the dog to jump (up and forward) from the seated heel position into the trotting (moving) heel position.
I teach this by teaching the dog to target my hand with his nose (using a clicker and/or food as needed). I also put a word to this targeting action (I use "touch" or "up"). Once the dog will target my hand on cue whenever I present it, even if it requires the dog jumping to reach it, the foundation is set.
I than begin asking my dog to jump (up and forward) at the start of heeling. Such that my first step elicits the, up and forward, jump from my dog.
By asking the dog to jump (up and forward) into my hand initially and than on his own at the beginning of a heel pattern the dog learns to:
(1) Maintain his head position - Remember the hard part here is going from a sit (with head up) to a trot (with head up) especially since this requires the dog to change his head position slightly. By having the dog jump (up and forward) the dog is always looking up and pushing his head up and forward. This teaches him, and lets him practice maintaining, the head up position while transiting from sitting to trotting.
(2) Push up and forward from rear - If the dog's rear stays sitting while the dog starts reaching forward with his front legs the dog's movement will not start along with yours, and likely the dog will not be starting in the right gait (which should be a trot). Instead he will go from a sit, to a walk, and only than to a trot, all these transitions may result in a lag at the heel-start. To remedy this problem I was taught to "pop the dog forward" using the leash on a heel-start. The problem with this technique is it teaches the dog to lurch forward and often exacerbate just the type of exaggerated striding by the dog using his front legs that we are trying to avoid. By instead asking the dog to jump (up and forward) into your hand, you are forcing him to push from his rear, to use his back legs, this in turn frees his front legs and lets him immediately transition from a sit to a trot with ease.
(3) Hustle - Most dogs find jumping at the start of the heel fun. I always get more attention and quiet a bit of anticipation from dogs after I start playing this "jumping heel-start game" with them. The last thing you want is a dog that is slow to start heeling since, among other things, with such a dog you run the risk of "loosing" them right at the beginning of the heel pattern and at every halt thereafter. A dog that is taught a jump heel-start builds the habit of really driving into the heel from the first step.
Fading the jumping. Any unrewarded behavior will disappear. At first I give food when my dog jumps into my hand, next I give lavish praise, than I stop using my hand and I give occasional praise for a nice jump start, and finally I begin to ignore it. Once the habit is established the dogs will always start their heel pattern driving up and out, and over time they will just do less and less jumping (leaving the ground). If your dog does jump in the ring on the heel start ..... so..... it is at most a few points off and I guarantee you will have some nice, happy, and enthusiastic heeling. (see video below)
When I started teaching utility signals to Lola and she saw my hand (giving the heel command this time) appear above her head on the heel-start she immediately started jumping again. I found this endearing, she remembered the foundations! It also just so happened that this jumping heel-start behavior ended up working out well for teaching the heel signal for utility. Despite the other problems she has with the signal exercise, Lola is never slow to respond to the utility heel signal!
Below is a video of Judy and her Newfie Flip earning a CD leg. You can see Flip is jumping up and forward for all his heel-starts. His jumping is very obvious, remember that you can do more to fade this jumping behavior so that your dog's jumping heel-starts are not as obvious. However because Flip does have such a obvious jumping heel-start it really lets you SEE what I mean.
And here is video of one of Flip's CDX legs. Again notice the heel-starts.
The first step (the start or heel-start) of a heeling pattern is an important but often overlooked topic.
Many dogs don't start heeling well.
* They don't start at the same time as the handler and than hurray to caught up,
* They start striding with their front legs but leave their back legs and rear behind, or
* They lurch forward along with the handler's first step, dropping their head.
For a dog to go from a sitting position with head up to a trotting position with head up is NOT easy, it requires a lot of practice and has to be taught to the dog. If you don't believe me try doing this yourself. Also it is worth pointing out that the head position a dog maintains when sitting by your side is different than the head position of that dog when he is standing (or trotting) if the dog is maintaining the same focus spot. So you are also asking the dog to CHANGE head position here.
Even so these ugly bobbles at the beginning of the heel pattern are not necessary.
The dog must do Three Things to have a beautiful heel-start.
The dog must:
(1) Maintaining head position
(2) Push up an forward using their rear (using back legs)
(3) Hustle (go immediately from stationary position to a trot)
There are many methods to teach a dog heel-starts, however few of these methods address all three issues above.
The method I have found most useful for teaching heel-starts, that addresses all three of the above issues, is to teach the dog to jump (up and forward) from the seated heel position into the trotting (moving) heel position.
I teach this by teaching the dog to target my hand with his nose (using a clicker and/or food as needed). I also put a word to this targeting action (I use "touch" or "up"). Once the dog will target my hand on cue whenever I present it, even if it requires the dog jumping to reach it, the foundation is set.
I than begin asking my dog to jump (up and forward) at the start of heeling. Such that my first step elicits the, up and forward, jump from my dog.
By asking the dog to jump (up and forward) into my hand initially and than on his own at the beginning of a heel pattern the dog learns to:
(1) Maintain his head position - Remember the hard part here is going from a sit (with head up) to a trot (with head up) especially since this requires the dog to change his head position slightly. By having the dog jump (up and forward) the dog is always looking up and pushing his head up and forward. This teaches him, and lets him practice maintaining, the head up position while transiting from sitting to trotting.
(2) Push up and forward from rear - If the dog's rear stays sitting while the dog starts reaching forward with his front legs the dog's movement will not start along with yours, and likely the dog will not be starting in the right gait (which should be a trot). Instead he will go from a sit, to a walk, and only than to a trot, all these transitions may result in a lag at the heel-start. To remedy this problem I was taught to "pop the dog forward" using the leash on a heel-start. The problem with this technique is it teaches the dog to lurch forward and often exacerbate just the type of exaggerated striding by the dog using his front legs that we are trying to avoid. By instead asking the dog to jump (up and forward) into your hand, you are forcing him to push from his rear, to use his back legs, this in turn frees his front legs and lets him immediately transition from a sit to a trot with ease.
(3) Hustle - Most dogs find jumping at the start of the heel fun. I always get more attention and quiet a bit of anticipation from dogs after I start playing this "jumping heel-start game" with them. The last thing you want is a dog that is slow to start heeling since, among other things, with such a dog you run the risk of "loosing" them right at the beginning of the heel pattern and at every halt thereafter. A dog that is taught a jump heel-start builds the habit of really driving into the heel from the first step.
Fading the jumping. Any unrewarded behavior will disappear. At first I give food when my dog jumps into my hand, next I give lavish praise, than I stop using my hand and I give occasional praise for a nice jump start, and finally I begin to ignore it. Once the habit is established the dogs will always start their heel pattern driving up and out, and over time they will just do less and less jumping (leaving the ground). If your dog does jump in the ring on the heel start ..... so..... it is at most a few points off and I guarantee you will have some nice, happy, and enthusiastic heeling. (see video below)
When I started teaching utility signals to Lola and she saw my hand (giving the heel command this time) appear above her head on the heel-start she immediately started jumping again. I found this endearing, she remembered the foundations! It also just so happened that this jumping heel-start behavior ended up working out well for teaching the heel signal for utility. Despite the other problems she has with the signal exercise, Lola is never slow to respond to the utility heel signal!
Below is a video of Judy and her Newfie Flip earning a CD leg. You can see Flip is jumping up and forward for all his heel-starts. His jumping is very obvious, remember that you can do more to fade this jumping behavior so that your dog's jumping heel-starts are not as obvious. However because Flip does have such a obvious jumping heel-start it really lets you SEE what I mean.
And here is video of one of Flip's CDX legs. Again notice the heel-starts.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Novice Syllabus
Week 1:
* Call to Heel, Moving call to Heel, Understanding & Establishing Dogs Head Position while Heeling.
* Understanding your dog’s Body Space, Different ways to Stand Dog, Sit for Exam.
* Recall. Establishing your criteria. Attention, Speed, Straight, & Follow through.
* Stays. Establishing your criteria. Making them clear to your Dog. Sit Stay and Down Stay practice.
Week 2:
* Focusing on the Dog: Dog’s body awareness & Dog’s Balance in Heel. Introduction to Figure 8
* Gaining Confidence on the Exam making it weird in practice so it is easy in the trial, Stand or Sit for Exam.
* Teaching Front. Using Body Ques.
* Explaining the Stay to a dog that is Distracted or Board. Sit Stay and Down Stay practice.
Week 3:
* Focusing on the Handler: Handler’s Footwork, Body Posture & Trusting the Dog. Heeling Starts & Halts, Proper footwork
* Explaining the Stand for Exam to a dog that is Friendly or Shy. Confidence building exercises. Stand for Exam.
* Teaching Finish. Using Body Ques.
* Stays. Bad Habits, What to Avoid, What to do if you already Have a Problem. Sit stay and Down stay practice.
* Knowing Your Dog, Does he Rev Up or Down for Trials? How to Train with this in Mind.
Week 4:
* Heeling Style & Rhythm, Leads & Pace Changes, Gaiting and Speed Transitions for Figure 8.
* Confidence building Continues. Stand for Exam.
* Proofing Recall.
* Active Stays & Making them Rewarding. Sit Stay and Down Stay Practice.
* Introduction to Proofing. How to Use Corrections Fairly.
Week 5 :
* Heeling Endurance & Keeping it Exciting. Figure 8 Practice.
* Stand for Exam. Making it Formal, Making it Clear.
* Proofing Front.
* Proofing Stays.
* How to Teach Corrections
Week 6 :
* Off Leash Heeling, Making the Transition. Figure 8 Practice & Proofing.
* Proofing Stand for Exam
* Proofing Finish.
* Stays. Making them Formal, Making them Clear.
* In Between Exercises: How to Effectively Use This Time, What is Best for Your Dog (What is Best for You)
Week 7 :
* Proofing Heeling & more Figure 8 proofing.
* Working on Individual Stand for Exam problems
* Recall. Putting it all Together. Making it Formal.
* Sit Stay and Down Stay practice. Focus on Individual Problems.
* Preparing for Trial. Developing a Warm Up and Cool Down Routine. Fading Toys, Treats, Leash Corrections & Praise.
Week 8 :
* Dealing with Nerves, Ring Stress and Dogs that Shut Down.
* Putting it all Together. Run Thurs (mock trial).
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