Handling & Control

Foundation Handling & Impulse Control

It all begins at the start line!

Here's Bungee and I, (Feb. '08) practicing some releases from a sit to a toy, mixing in chase recalls. We do our best to mix it up, keep it fun, but also keep it challenging, putting the power of "rule-outs" to work in developing control in a sit or at a start line.

Today Bungee's homework started with circle work, Derrett-style (the only kind we do), moved on to a two-toy game Sarah brought us back from Laura (Derrett) that I had forgotten about to teach positional cues, and finished with directionals & sit stays.

Exercises we're working on this week, expanded:

Bungee has been doing circle work awhile now. I cannot entice her out of position with toys in my hand easily, or at all, when we are working. While I cannot entice her out of position with toys I carry, I can lose her attention with distractions. I think we can never do enough of this work in distractions, and so do all we can, and look for greater challenges to use.

We are moving up to create different challenges, to test what is is she actually understands, while maintaining our circle work as Greg instructed last time we saw him.

I prefer to challenge her circle work by doing it in many different locations with many different distractions.

We were asked to do some straight line running to and around cones in a large pyramid style shape last week. The cones were perhaps at the 5' & 95' lines. (Our No. American agility fields are usually layed out in 100 ft. squares, marked in 10' (ft.) increments).

I picked up some anticipation in straight line running these long distances in this pyramid, (trying to tug the toy before I give it to her and slight forging/flanking trying to push me for the reward). Not a surprise when I think that she has never run that far without a reward in our circle work. Finding weak spots in your training is always valuable information. Bungee is such a smarty. It's easy to work through things with her. We will continue our circle work, being more variable with the timing of rewards.

Last week we started some handling exercises to develop/test understanding of positional cues. We do this using two toys, one that is held, one that is away on the ground, and proof the handling and understanding of positional cues, mainly by challenging it. At this point this is straight-line work and not too far a distance. Both toys are in play as rewards or distractions, whatever the case may be. It is VERY important to have control over the toy you are not carrying (so the dog is not self-reinforcing in error and losing the lesson). I'm lucky, my husband works from home, loves our agility hobby and will always give us a hand with our lessons at home when he can.

This work went very well. Bungee showed a much stronger understanding working on my left than on my right. I think this may have something to do with the fact that I probably do more casual on-leash transport with her on my left than right. Time for some note keeping. But again, we just work through it.

After a little break, we worked some sits (start line prep). We are really testing these now - using big, exciting voices - trying to taunt her off the line I've put her on, or wild whooping, running & throwing of toys, especially the ones that whiz by her fast & close. She tries so hard! Low fast ones are usually too much challenge. But she's doing very well, clearly a work in progress.

As ever, I want her to have much more success than failure, and so work to the level she can handle, while steadily making it harder and harder for her to be successful. I remain careful not to "lump", (making a lesson too hard), when we "turn up the heat" and start really challenging it.

I have found with all my dogs, that sits (stays) are a behavior that need regular tuning up to remain solid. (FWIW I no longer say "stay", none of the trainers I work with use the "stay" command anymore either. So "sit" is: sit until I release you or ask you to move).

Back to proofing the sit and the time it takes to do it right - not a problem! In my mind it's never a race to the trial field. I so enjoy the training process I am never in a rush to get through it or hurry it along. Bungee will be ready when she's ready and that's that.

I'm so glad to have her in group classes again with lots of dogs to put these skills to work amidst distractions.

We finished up the lesson with some directionals (left, right, go). After a slow start with lefts & rights this past winter, (a post in itself) we are now moving forward with some visible progress! Many thanks to Mia for her helpful tips with lefts & rights!

Boy her ears come up beautifully when she works, especially when she runs. They even stay up for awhile after she works. I think her trial photographs are going to have her mostly with ears up! But she's BEAUTIFUL either way. Her working ability is to die for, and such a bonus, couldn't ask for a prettier dog too!

At some point today we'll get some contacts in.