Week One Checklist
BACK UP
Beginning:
PEDESTAL PLAY
Beginner: Send 8 feet to pedestal and hold
Intermediate: Opposite motion sends, triangle sends, recalling, running past, sequencing
Advanced: Position changes (sit-down-stand) with front feet on pedestal,
Challenge Level: Independent pedestal pivots in both directions from 5 feet
WAVE
Beginner: Wave with one paw - the other paw must stay on the ground
Intermediate: Wave with each paw individually
Advanced: Duration wave (continue to wave as long as the cue is up), wave on an unstable surface (rocking chair, fitness equipment, pillow, etc), wave while in a stand
Challenge: Limp (dog holds up paw and walks towards you 2 feet)
AGILITY FLATWORK
Beginner: (show all!)Acceleration/Deceleration Flatwork (x4)
Intermediate: (show all!) Circle Work - Big circles, small circles, change of direction, change of speed and inside circles
Advanced: (show all!) Bypass (or call to hand), front cross, blind cross, rear cross on the flat, send ahead
LIMP DOG
Beginning:
FREESHAPING a HEAD SHAKE
All Levels:
STAY PROOFING
Beginning:
Intermediate:
Advanced:
Challenge:
PLAY GAMES
Beginning:
- Back up independently at least 3 feet (no handler motion!)
- Back up (straight!) to rear foot target across the room (approximately 8-10 feet)
- Back up into wall handstand
- Back up across the room up to handstand on wall
- Back up through your legs (at least five feet)
- Backwards leg weaving
- Back up while you are moving away
PEDESTAL PLAY
Beginner: Send 8 feet to pedestal and hold
Intermediate: Opposite motion sends, triangle sends, recalling, running past, sequencing
Advanced: Position changes (sit-down-stand) with front feet on pedestal,
Challenge Level: Independent pedestal pivots in both directions from 5 feet
WAVE
Beginner: Wave with one paw - the other paw must stay on the ground
Intermediate: Wave with each paw individually
Advanced: Duration wave (continue to wave as long as the cue is up), wave on an unstable surface (rocking chair, fitness equipment, pillow, etc), wave while in a stand
Challenge: Limp (dog holds up paw and walks towards you 2 feet)
AGILITY FLATWORK
Beginner: (show all!)Acceleration/Deceleration Flatwork (x4)
Intermediate: (show all!) Circle Work - Big circles, small circles, change of direction, change of speed and inside circles
Advanced: (show all!) Bypass (or call to hand), front cross, blind cross, rear cross on the flat, send ahead
LIMP DOG
Beginning:
- Lay on Side
- Lay on Back ('Bang!')
- Roll Over
- Bang at a distance
- Roll over at a distance
- Bang while you walk 360 degrees (head down, dog stays still)
- Bang on recall
- 'Stick em up' and Bang
- Limp dog pick up
- Multiple Rolls x 3 (both directions)
FREESHAPING a HEAD SHAKE
All Levels:
STAY PROOFING
Beginning:
- Stay while you put down bowl of food (any distance) and stand up completely - release with verbal only
- Leaves a treat alone placed in front of dog until released
Intermediate:
- Stay while you put bowl of food down (5 feet) AND do two position changes sit/stand/down behaviors before being released to food (handler can be next to the dog)
- Stay with three pieces of food on the dog (any position)
Advanced:
- Stay while you put down food bowl (8-10 feet) AND do 3 position changes (from a distance) AND walk 360 degrees around the dog AND back away from the food bowl
- Stay with 10 pieces of food on the dog (in any location in any position)
- Stay while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Stay while you throw food
- Stay while you throw toys
- Stay while you play with another dog (if you don't have another dog, then play with another person or imaginary dog ;-)
- Stay with treat in front of them while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Hold treat on nose (or top of head if they don't have enough of a snout) for 5 seconds (no hands!)
- Stay while you release another dog next to them with handler out of sight (if you don't have another dog, use a person, if you don't have another person, then, uh, go out of sight and have a party by yourself
Challenge:
- Food refusal: Dog turns their head away from food offered to them on cue "Do you like broccoli?"
PLAY GAMES
- Goofy Play
- Hide n Seek
- Opening Presents
- Catching Treats
- Sausage Roll
Back Up
Beginning:
- Back up independently at least 3 feet (no handler motion!)
Intermediate Options:
- Back up (straight!) to rear foot target across the room (approximately 8-10 feet)
- Back up into wall handstand
Advanced Options:
- Back up across the room up to handstand on wall
Challenge Level:
- Back up through your legs (at least five feet)
- Backwards leg weaving
- Back up while you are moving away
General Training Notes:
There is no one right way to train any behavior, but keep in mind the basic steps:
- Engagement (your dog is ready to work and willing to work for what you have)
- Get the Behavior (shaping, luring, capturing, modeling, targeting)
- Mark the Behavior (reward for position!)
- Dog Offers the Behavior (understands what they're being rewarded for)
- Add a Cue
- Proofing (Distance, Distraction, Duration, Location, Handler Position, etc)
I'm a big fan of shaping behaviors, so that tends to be my go-to training skill, but there is nothing wrong with using any training technique to get the backing up behavior. The goal is to get an independent behavior, which means if you do use your physical pressure (walking into the dog) as a cue to start the behavior, you'll want to fade it out once the dog is getting the idea. What I'm looking for is the dog to start offering the behavior on their own, then I can add a cue.
Beginning Training Notes:
Shaping a Back Up (my favorite): I like sitting on the ground to start this, with my legs out in front of me making a 'channel' for the dog to encourage them to back up straight. I usually train with kibble at home when I'm shaping a behavior (if I can), as I want my rate of reinforcement to be very high (ideally at least every few seconds), and don't want to overdo rich treats. I'll have my clicker in my left hand and handful of kibble in my right hand, ready to immediately throw one.
I'll bring my dog up close with a treat or a hand touch and wait for the dog to back away, marking any backwards motion and tossing a treat underneath the dog. If my aim is good, the dog will continue to back up to get their treat and I can mark that motion and throw another treat under the dog before they have even gotten the first treat. As the dog is backing up looking for treats, and I will continue to mark and throw as long as the dog backs up. If you throw too short, they won't back up to follow the treat, if you throw to long they will often just turn around to find it - so this technique requires some skill by the handler (especially with a short dog!)!
Shaping a Back Video: https://youtu.be/1_AwwTLbV7s
I'm going to repeat until my dog starts to offer backing up, then I will continue to reward by tossing the treat under the dog, adding duration and holding out for more steps backwards. If you do this in a hallway it can help them at least attempt to go straight, but I don't worry about straight until they understand backing up. A common issue is that the dog will 'stall out' at a certain number of steps or distance from the handler, make sure you are marking MOTION, not stopping, which usually means you need to mark earlier. Once my dog is backing up consistently, I'll add the cue.
Luring a Back Up: Some dogs understand the concept of a back up with more obvious physical cue. When I'm going to use my body to move into my dog to get a back up, I'll first artificially create a narrow channel, like using a wall and an x-pen, or move out the couch from the wall so I'm creating a little channel there. That way when I walk into the dog they are less likely to just turn around, but will actually back up. I'm still going to mark just that first movement backwards and try to reward by tossing the treat under the dog (so they are anticipating that the reward will happen away from the handler and are encouraged to continue their motion).
I'm using my physical motion to lure the dog into the behavior, marking and rewarding what I want to see. I'm looking for the dog to start offering the back up with less and less physical pressure from me, until I can fade out my motion and the dog is offering the behavior independently, then I can put a cue on it.
Intermediate Training Notes:
For a dog that has an independent back up, I then want to train them to back up onto an object. Keep in mind that dogs are actually very good at avoiding 'hitting' objects when they're backing up, so you want to start very close (inches away) from the object you want them to target with their rear feet. This should be something low, safe and obvious, like a board or a low pillow. Put them directly in front of the object and ask for the back up, rewarding any contact, no matter how incidental with the target. Only add more distance once the dog realizes that they're being rewarded for finding the object behind them.
Now you can work on both your distance and your 'straight', as if they're all over the place they'll never find the object! Once again, start close and very gradually add distance, so they can work on learning to go 'straight' back and with more and more distance.
Back Up Target Video: https://youtu.be/1mGhi58xUk4
A dog that understands how to back up to a target is ready to start adding more difficulty by making the target gradually higher and steeper. You can do this by using different types of objects (books or boxes), or using a slanted board. Start close, don't worry about distance, this is just teaching the dog how to back up onto more and more angle until they can back up a wall. With this exercise reward LOW, you want your dog's spine to stay straight, which means rewarding on the ground between the two front paws.
Slanted Board Video: https://youtu.be/q7acsVAWdeM
Vertical Board Video: https://youtu.be/TJF_dIssJZA
Advanced Training Notes:
For the know-it-all backer-upper, if they have both distance and a wall stand, can they back up and doing it independent of you? How straight is their back up at a distance? Can you put them in a stay in front of you with their back to you and have them back straight through your legs (hint: start close and reward by throwing a treat back under their legs once they get past you, try to get them to look UP and back, not over a shoulder, rewarding for that first, then working on the back). And backwards leg weaving is always a fun challenge (basically a combination of backing through your legs and pivoting to heel) - keep in mind that when your dog is backwards leg weaving, YOU walk backwards too. I accidentally trained it with my walking forwards and made it way more awkward than it needed to be ;-)
The beginning steps of that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbY2y3SJnc4
- Back up independently at least 3 feet (no handler motion!)
Intermediate Options:
- Back up (straight!) to rear foot target across the room (approximately 8-10 feet)
- Back up into wall handstand
Advanced Options:
- Back up across the room up to handstand on wall
Challenge Level:
- Back up through your legs (at least five feet)
- Backwards leg weaving
- Back up while you are moving away
General Training Notes:
There is no one right way to train any behavior, but keep in mind the basic steps:
- Engagement (your dog is ready to work and willing to work for what you have)
- Get the Behavior (shaping, luring, capturing, modeling, targeting)
- Mark the Behavior (reward for position!)
- Dog Offers the Behavior (understands what they're being rewarded for)
- Add a Cue
- Proofing (Distance, Distraction, Duration, Location, Handler Position, etc)
I'm a big fan of shaping behaviors, so that tends to be my go-to training skill, but there is nothing wrong with using any training technique to get the backing up behavior. The goal is to get an independent behavior, which means if you do use your physical pressure (walking into the dog) as a cue to start the behavior, you'll want to fade it out once the dog is getting the idea. What I'm looking for is the dog to start offering the behavior on their own, then I can add a cue.
Beginning Training Notes:
Shaping a Back Up (my favorite): I like sitting on the ground to start this, with my legs out in front of me making a 'channel' for the dog to encourage them to back up straight. I usually train with kibble at home when I'm shaping a behavior (if I can), as I want my rate of reinforcement to be very high (ideally at least every few seconds), and don't want to overdo rich treats. I'll have my clicker in my left hand and handful of kibble in my right hand, ready to immediately throw one.
I'll bring my dog up close with a treat or a hand touch and wait for the dog to back away, marking any backwards motion and tossing a treat underneath the dog. If my aim is good, the dog will continue to back up to get their treat and I can mark that motion and throw another treat under the dog before they have even gotten the first treat. As the dog is backing up looking for treats, and I will continue to mark and throw as long as the dog backs up. If you throw too short, they won't back up to follow the treat, if you throw to long they will often just turn around to find it - so this technique requires some skill by the handler (especially with a short dog!)!
Shaping a Back Video: https://youtu.be/1_AwwTLbV7s
I'm going to repeat until my dog starts to offer backing up, then I will continue to reward by tossing the treat under the dog, adding duration and holding out for more steps backwards. If you do this in a hallway it can help them at least attempt to go straight, but I don't worry about straight until they understand backing up. A common issue is that the dog will 'stall out' at a certain number of steps or distance from the handler, make sure you are marking MOTION, not stopping, which usually means you need to mark earlier. Once my dog is backing up consistently, I'll add the cue.
Luring a Back Up: Some dogs understand the concept of a back up with more obvious physical cue. When I'm going to use my body to move into my dog to get a back up, I'll first artificially create a narrow channel, like using a wall and an x-pen, or move out the couch from the wall so I'm creating a little channel there. That way when I walk into the dog they are less likely to just turn around, but will actually back up. I'm still going to mark just that first movement backwards and try to reward by tossing the treat under the dog (so they are anticipating that the reward will happen away from the handler and are encouraged to continue their motion).
I'm using my physical motion to lure the dog into the behavior, marking and rewarding what I want to see. I'm looking for the dog to start offering the back up with less and less physical pressure from me, until I can fade out my motion and the dog is offering the behavior independently, then I can put a cue on it.
Intermediate Training Notes:
For a dog that has an independent back up, I then want to train them to back up onto an object. Keep in mind that dogs are actually very good at avoiding 'hitting' objects when they're backing up, so you want to start very close (inches away) from the object you want them to target with their rear feet. This should be something low, safe and obvious, like a board or a low pillow. Put them directly in front of the object and ask for the back up, rewarding any contact, no matter how incidental with the target. Only add more distance once the dog realizes that they're being rewarded for finding the object behind them.
Now you can work on both your distance and your 'straight', as if they're all over the place they'll never find the object! Once again, start close and very gradually add distance, so they can work on learning to go 'straight' back and with more and more distance.
Back Up Target Video: https://youtu.be/1mGhi58xUk4
A dog that understands how to back up to a target is ready to start adding more difficulty by making the target gradually higher and steeper. You can do this by using different types of objects (books or boxes), or using a slanted board. Start close, don't worry about distance, this is just teaching the dog how to back up onto more and more angle until they can back up a wall. With this exercise reward LOW, you want your dog's spine to stay straight, which means rewarding on the ground between the two front paws.
Slanted Board Video: https://youtu.be/q7acsVAWdeM
Vertical Board Video: https://youtu.be/TJF_dIssJZA
Advanced Training Notes:
For the know-it-all backer-upper, if they have both distance and a wall stand, can they back up and doing it independent of you? How straight is their back up at a distance? Can you put them in a stay in front of you with their back to you and have them back straight through your legs (hint: start close and reward by throwing a treat back under their legs once they get past you, try to get them to look UP and back, not over a shoulder, rewarding for that first, then working on the back). And backwards leg weaving is always a fun challenge (basically a combination of backing through your legs and pivoting to heel) - keep in mind that when your dog is backwards leg weaving, YOU walk backwards too. I accidentally trained it with my walking forwards and made it way more awkward than it needed to be ;-)
The beginning steps of that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbY2y3SJnc4
Pedestal Play
Beginner: Send 8 feet to pedestal and hold
Intermediate: Opposite motion sends, triangle sends, recalling, running past, sequencing
Advanced: Position changes (sit-down-stand) with front feet on pedestal,
Challenge Level: Independent pedestal pivots in both directions
I'm a big fan of pedestals, they are a great way to teach a variety of skills, they're easy to transport and you can easily just create them with a bowl or box at home. I like using them in agility to teach distance and collection, and there are lot of conditioning skills they are great for as well.
Beginning Notes:
Step one is to create value for the pedestal so the dog is actively seeking it out. You can shape or lure the dog to put two front feet on the pedestal and feed in position. Release and throw a treat off the pedestal to reset. You are looking for the dog to automatically seek out the pedestal without prompting before putting a name on the behavior. Make sure the dog is offering the behavior and you're not just luring them into position before moving to the next step.
Step two is teaching the dog to 'stick' the pedestal, meaning they should seek out the pedestal position and hold that position until told otherwise. I will start by rewarding the dog in position and then telling them to stay as I take a step away, go back in and reward in position, step back again, etc. This is also a place I will use 'reverse luring', if you are familiar with that technique.
Step three is adding distance gradually, sending with more distance, still following up immediately with a reward in position and making sure to release them from the pedestal. I'll also tell the dog to 'stay' as soon as they get into position to help them 'stick' the pedestal until I can get to them to reward. With more speed this is often when dogs start sliding off, knocking over or over-running the pedestal. The goal is to get the dog to learn how to decelerate and collect to be successful, so they are thinking and using their bodies correctly. Don't add more speed/distance until the dog is solid on each progression, reward in position and if they're really struggling, go back to an easier distance. Work up to 8-10 feet or more.
Beginning Video: https://youtu.be/ztnX0rgv0OU
Intermediate Notes:
Once the dog has value for the pedestal and can send and stick the pedestal, you can test their understanding by putting in more speed and challenges. Keep in mind you want them to hit and stick the pedestal the FIRST time, not overrun it and then fix it afterwards.
You want to test a variety of situations, including recalling the dog to the pedestal, running past, and sending and moving the opposite direction to see if they can maintain their performance. If you are not familiar with triangle sends, this when you, the dog and the pedestal are three points of a 'triangle', and instead of sending the dog from your side to the pedestal, now you are sending them from a distance. Once they are solid, start adding multiple pedestals to look at some sequencing.
Intermediate video: These videos includes a variety of challenges (with both food and with a toy when the dog is more confident), and the more distance you use (say, outside!) the more challenging it becomes:
https://youtu.be/HHYz1s5OguI
https://youtu.be/0-zW1md1sdE
Advanced Notes:
A dog that has a lot of value and understands how to really stick and hold a pedestal makes for an easy transition to work on some more complex pedestal behaviors. Position changes while they keep their feet in place on the pedestal is a great conditioning exercise where they really have to use their body correctly to move from position to position. Add in position changes on a verbal only and it's a great mental challenge too!
Pedestal pivots can be done in relation to the handler, but I also want to make sure the dog understands how to use their rear end to move independently 360 degrees around the pedestal while their front feet stay on the pedestal, in both directions. I will start this with either a lure (if you turn the dog's head towards their shoulder with a treat that will help teach them to move their rear) or freeshaping any motion with their back feet and feeding with the head turn to help the dog continue their pivot. The toughest spot is getting them to rotate past you. I think a strong spin behavior can also help this trick! Sara Brueske recently shared a really cool trick to help with this progression, I'd recommend checking it out:
https://www.facebook.com/sarak87/videos/10103563765324512/
Advanced Video:
Position Changes: https://youtu.be/4W9hWzDb7H8
Challenge Video:
Pivot: https://youtu.be/Fu9Phpv1btA
Intermediate: Opposite motion sends, triangle sends, recalling, running past, sequencing
Advanced: Position changes (sit-down-stand) with front feet on pedestal,
Challenge Level: Independent pedestal pivots in both directions
I'm a big fan of pedestals, they are a great way to teach a variety of skills, they're easy to transport and you can easily just create them with a bowl or box at home. I like using them in agility to teach distance and collection, and there are lot of conditioning skills they are great for as well.
Beginning Notes:
Step one is to create value for the pedestal so the dog is actively seeking it out. You can shape or lure the dog to put two front feet on the pedestal and feed in position. Release and throw a treat off the pedestal to reset. You are looking for the dog to automatically seek out the pedestal without prompting before putting a name on the behavior. Make sure the dog is offering the behavior and you're not just luring them into position before moving to the next step.
Step two is teaching the dog to 'stick' the pedestal, meaning they should seek out the pedestal position and hold that position until told otherwise. I will start by rewarding the dog in position and then telling them to stay as I take a step away, go back in and reward in position, step back again, etc. This is also a place I will use 'reverse luring', if you are familiar with that technique.
Step three is adding distance gradually, sending with more distance, still following up immediately with a reward in position and making sure to release them from the pedestal. I'll also tell the dog to 'stay' as soon as they get into position to help them 'stick' the pedestal until I can get to them to reward. With more speed this is often when dogs start sliding off, knocking over or over-running the pedestal. The goal is to get the dog to learn how to decelerate and collect to be successful, so they are thinking and using their bodies correctly. Don't add more speed/distance until the dog is solid on each progression, reward in position and if they're really struggling, go back to an easier distance. Work up to 8-10 feet or more.
Beginning Video: https://youtu.be/ztnX0rgv0OU
Intermediate Notes:
Once the dog has value for the pedestal and can send and stick the pedestal, you can test their understanding by putting in more speed and challenges. Keep in mind you want them to hit and stick the pedestal the FIRST time, not overrun it and then fix it afterwards.
You want to test a variety of situations, including recalling the dog to the pedestal, running past, and sending and moving the opposite direction to see if they can maintain their performance. If you are not familiar with triangle sends, this when you, the dog and the pedestal are three points of a 'triangle', and instead of sending the dog from your side to the pedestal, now you are sending them from a distance. Once they are solid, start adding multiple pedestals to look at some sequencing.
Intermediate video: These videos includes a variety of challenges (with both food and with a toy when the dog is more confident), and the more distance you use (say, outside!) the more challenging it becomes:
https://youtu.be/HHYz1s5OguI
https://youtu.be/0-zW1md1sdE
Advanced Notes:
A dog that has a lot of value and understands how to really stick and hold a pedestal makes for an easy transition to work on some more complex pedestal behaviors. Position changes while they keep their feet in place on the pedestal is a great conditioning exercise where they really have to use their body correctly to move from position to position. Add in position changes on a verbal only and it's a great mental challenge too!
Pedestal pivots can be done in relation to the handler, but I also want to make sure the dog understands how to use their rear end to move independently 360 degrees around the pedestal while their front feet stay on the pedestal, in both directions. I will start this with either a lure (if you turn the dog's head towards their shoulder with a treat that will help teach them to move their rear) or freeshaping any motion with their back feet and feeding with the head turn to help the dog continue their pivot. The toughest spot is getting them to rotate past you. I think a strong spin behavior can also help this trick! Sara Brueske recently shared a really cool trick to help with this progression, I'd recommend checking it out:
https://www.facebook.com/sarak87/videos/10103563765324512/
Advanced Video:
Position Changes: https://youtu.be/4W9hWzDb7H8
Challenge Video:
Pivot: https://youtu.be/Fu9Phpv1btA
Wave
Beginner: Wave with one paw - the other paw must stay on the ground
Intermediate: Wave with each paw individually
Advanced: Duration wave (continue to wave as long as the cue is up), wave on an unstable surface (rocking chair, fitness equipment, pillow, etc), wave while in a stand
Challenge: Limp (dog holds up paw and walks towards you 2 feet)
Beginning Notes:
There are several ways to get the waving behavior - one easy option if your dog already as a 'shake' or 'high five' is to ask for the shake/hi-5 and mark the paw movement, moving your hand away before they make contact. You could also freeshape it from scratch.
Luring: This method works REALLY well with puppies, because they have no manners, so it's perfectly normal for them to paw at you when they want something. If you have a 'rude' dog, you can take a treat in your hand and tease the dog with it, let them lick it but not get it - most puppies will try pawing it out of your hand, click and reward that motion (hopefully before they actually make contact with you). Very easy with a rude dog, more difficult with dogs that have been taught not to do those kinds of things! Still, you can use a blatant lure to get the initial paw raise just by manipulating a treat on your dog's nose with them in a sit. Put the treat up high, but not so high as they would attempt to jump for it, you are looking to lure the dog into slightly lifting a paw to get a better angle at the treat, mark and reward that behavior.
An example of luring to start the behavior with a 'polite' dog:
https://youtu.be/W5C90ihpS94
Targeting: A very successful method of training a wave is with a foot target. If a dog understands how to target an object with their paw on the ground, it's a simple matter of raising the height of the target to get the waving behavior, then fade the target. Even if you don't need this behavior for the wave, I highly recommend teaching a paw targeting behavior - it's very useful in training a lot of behaviors, and can really help get that wave higher if need be.
An example of a dog learning a target to get a waving behavior (also a good example of the rate of reinforcement you need to have with a 'twitchy' dog, or a dog that overly worried about being wrong (of which Haku is both!):
https://youtu.be/MuNnzcVFywM
*A good trainer would have solidly trained the foot target on the ground, complete with cue, only then started to move it gradually upwards - and, hint, waving is easier if your dog is in a sit!*
Getting the behavior is the first step, then it's up to your timing and reinforcement to get the behavior to be stronger and higher, once they are consistently offering the wave, then add a cue.
Intermediate Notes:
There are a lot of one sided waves out there - and you want your dog to be balanced, make sure you train both sides! My cue for waves is that if I cue the wave on that side of the dog's body, they should wave with that paw. Mostly this comes from training most of my waves with puppies where I'm blatantly luring to get the behavior, and when I start training the opposite side, I use the opposite arm to start the new side. It's the same if I start training the opposite wave with a more experienced dog, I go back to step one and I'm either going to lure it (use the treat to encourage the dog to lift the opposite paw), or target with the other paw on the ground and then bring it up higher.
Advanced Notes:
Once I have a strong wave on both sides, I can start looking at duration - I'd like my dog to continue to wave as long as I cue the behavior. I will start this gradually, but basically if the dog stops waving before I have marked it, no reward. But I need to make sure I gradually increase the time I expect them wave in order to be successful.
I can start using waves for conditioning to teach my dog to shift their weight from one side of their body to the other. I can use it both on the flat and with various pieces of fitness equipment to help strengthen them on both sides. It's very easy for the dog compensate and sometimes use one side more than the other, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. I want to also make sure my dog can wave in a variety of positions, such as in a stand or with their rear feet on a target so I can target specific areas of the body, depending on what I'm working on.
Waving is a great way to warm up before agility, but only if they are using their full range of motion, with the other foot firmly planted on the ground.
Challenge Notes:
For the already experienced waver, it's time to take the next step - holding a paw up with duration and eventually holding up a paw while in motion (aka 'limping'). In an ideal world, train BOTH sides with this, so you can use this as a conditioning exercise, and so they stay balanced when working on the trick.
Advanced Video (Asher needs work with his left wave apparently - that's his 'hugging' arm, I think he got it confused ...):
Duration: https://youtu.be/IFkWoB6_5Vo
Stand: https://youtu.be/O1BMSk43_XU
Unstable: https://youtu.be/D7MXJvMt4r4
Intermediate: Wave with each paw individually
Advanced: Duration wave (continue to wave as long as the cue is up), wave on an unstable surface (rocking chair, fitness equipment, pillow, etc), wave while in a stand
Challenge: Limp (dog holds up paw and walks towards you 2 feet)
Beginning Notes:
There are several ways to get the waving behavior - one easy option if your dog already as a 'shake' or 'high five' is to ask for the shake/hi-5 and mark the paw movement, moving your hand away before they make contact. You could also freeshape it from scratch.
Luring: This method works REALLY well with puppies, because they have no manners, so it's perfectly normal for them to paw at you when they want something. If you have a 'rude' dog, you can take a treat in your hand and tease the dog with it, let them lick it but not get it - most puppies will try pawing it out of your hand, click and reward that motion (hopefully before they actually make contact with you). Very easy with a rude dog, more difficult with dogs that have been taught not to do those kinds of things! Still, you can use a blatant lure to get the initial paw raise just by manipulating a treat on your dog's nose with them in a sit. Put the treat up high, but not so high as they would attempt to jump for it, you are looking to lure the dog into slightly lifting a paw to get a better angle at the treat, mark and reward that behavior.
An example of luring to start the behavior with a 'polite' dog:
https://youtu.be/W5C90ihpS94
Targeting: A very successful method of training a wave is with a foot target. If a dog understands how to target an object with their paw on the ground, it's a simple matter of raising the height of the target to get the waving behavior, then fade the target. Even if you don't need this behavior for the wave, I highly recommend teaching a paw targeting behavior - it's very useful in training a lot of behaviors, and can really help get that wave higher if need be.
An example of a dog learning a target to get a waving behavior (also a good example of the rate of reinforcement you need to have with a 'twitchy' dog, or a dog that overly worried about being wrong (of which Haku is both!):
https://youtu.be/MuNnzcVFywM
*A good trainer would have solidly trained the foot target on the ground, complete with cue, only then started to move it gradually upwards - and, hint, waving is easier if your dog is in a sit!*
Getting the behavior is the first step, then it's up to your timing and reinforcement to get the behavior to be stronger and higher, once they are consistently offering the wave, then add a cue.
Intermediate Notes:
There are a lot of one sided waves out there - and you want your dog to be balanced, make sure you train both sides! My cue for waves is that if I cue the wave on that side of the dog's body, they should wave with that paw. Mostly this comes from training most of my waves with puppies where I'm blatantly luring to get the behavior, and when I start training the opposite side, I use the opposite arm to start the new side. It's the same if I start training the opposite wave with a more experienced dog, I go back to step one and I'm either going to lure it (use the treat to encourage the dog to lift the opposite paw), or target with the other paw on the ground and then bring it up higher.
Advanced Notes:
Once I have a strong wave on both sides, I can start looking at duration - I'd like my dog to continue to wave as long as I cue the behavior. I will start this gradually, but basically if the dog stops waving before I have marked it, no reward. But I need to make sure I gradually increase the time I expect them wave in order to be successful.
I can start using waves for conditioning to teach my dog to shift their weight from one side of their body to the other. I can use it both on the flat and with various pieces of fitness equipment to help strengthen them on both sides. It's very easy for the dog compensate and sometimes use one side more than the other, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. I want to also make sure my dog can wave in a variety of positions, such as in a stand or with their rear feet on a target so I can target specific areas of the body, depending on what I'm working on.
Waving is a great way to warm up before agility, but only if they are using their full range of motion, with the other foot firmly planted on the ground.
Challenge Notes:
For the already experienced waver, it's time to take the next step - holding a paw up with duration and eventually holding up a paw while in motion (aka 'limping'). In an ideal world, train BOTH sides with this, so you can use this as a conditioning exercise, and so they stay balanced when working on the trick.
Advanced Video (Asher needs work with his left wave apparently - that's his 'hugging' arm, I think he got it confused ...):
Duration: https://youtu.be/IFkWoB6_5Vo
Stand: https://youtu.be/O1BMSk43_XU
Unstable: https://youtu.be/D7MXJvMt4r4
Agility Flatwork
Beginner: (show all!)
Acceleration/Deceleration Flatwork (x4)
Intermediate: (show all!)
Circle Work - Big circles, small circles, change of direction, change of speed and inside circles
Advanced: (show all!)
Bypass (or call to hand), front cross, blind cross, rear cross on the flat, send ahead
____
Beginning Notes:
Looking at rewarding your dog for following your motion cues - if you are moving forward, the dog should drive ahead with forward focus, if the handler decelerates, the dog should come back into you. There are four exercises that should each be done on both sides, the acceleration exercises should always be rewarded ahead with a thrown treat or toy. The deceleration exercises should be rewarded from your hand for coming back into you.
Note: If your dog doesn't have a stay, you can throw a treat in the opposite direction to let you get ahead
Acceleration: Dog will always be rewarded ahead with thrown reward
- Accel #1: Hold back dog, throw toy ahead, release and race dog to toy (Go on - get it!)
- Accel #2: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward, release and run forward indicating what side you want the dog to come to, as the dog catches up to you, throw toy ahead and continue to race dog to the toy (Go on - get it!)
Deceleration: Dog will always be rewarded from your hand
- Decel #1: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward, release and run forward, indicating what side you want the dog to come to, as the dog catches up to you, decelerate quickly and come to a stop, reward from your hand when the dog comes into you
- Decel #2: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward and stand still, release and indicate what side you want the dog to come to, stand still and reward your dog from your hand when they come into you
Video demonstration in the beginning of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZcbX0aVwcg
Intermediate Notes:
Circle work helps teach the dog to stay on the side of the body we've indicated and run smoothly with us without cutting behind, in front or jumping on us. This also teaches the dog to follow your motion and accelerate around your body.
The key to good circle work is making it fun for the dog and making the handler not pass out from vertigo - reward often and keep your circles BIG for the most part. When introducing this behavior, reward every few steps remembering to keep your dog on the OUTSIDE of the circle (in the beginning!). If your dog is lagging, reward ahead with a thrown reward so the dog has to accelerate around your body. If your dog is forging and cutting you off, reward at your side. I recommend starting by running around an object to make sure you give yourself big enough circles.
Start slowly and build up to a run, big circles, little circles. Add in change of speed, go from slow to fast, from fast to slow. Add in front and rear crosses as well. Only once your dog is running smoothly with outside circles should you introduce inside circles (dog is now on the inside, handler on the outside). This requires much finesse and the dog must understand how not to cut you off. Start slowly, reward at your side, add more motion once they've gained confidence.
Video: https://youtu.be/yDR5SLjgjc0
Advanced Notes:
Dogs of any level benefit by going back to flatwork, it will show you holes in your training and help your handling on courses if the dog really understands what you want. These exercises rely on using a blatant lure, such as a dead toy or a bowl with food (a cooler or manners minder is another option!). We want the dog to be focused on their reward, but choose to follow our body language to get there, even though it would be much faster and easier not to!
Start easy to help your dog be successful, reward them for coming to you rather than straight towards the reward, and once they understand the concept, you can fade out the middle reward and just use your send to the toy/bowl on the ground as their reward. Make sure you mix in enough sends straight ahead that they don't lose that attraction to going straight!
If your dog hasn't seen this set up before, the front cross with you on your dog's line is the easiest set up. Put your dog on a stay, straight in front of their reward on the ground, lead out halfway between the two on your dog's line, release and really make sure to show your dog what you have to help them not continue on to the reward, but come with you instead (another toy or treats, depending on what your dog will respond best to). After a few repetitions with the intermediate step, fade the middle reward and release towards the dead toy/bowl, front cross and turn them 180 degrees in the opposite direction, then front cross again to release them to the reward with your 'get it' cue.
Set up the following skills, asking your dog to follow your body language instead of just driving straight to the reward:
- Front Cross on the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Front Cross off the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Blind Cross on the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Blind Cross off the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Rear cross on the flat off the dog's line
- Bypass on the dog's line (or come to hand)
- Bypass off the dog's line (or come to hand)
Video examples (Does not cover all of the above, and I did not show much in motion, which you should definitely proof!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0Tx-YuZVQ
Acceleration/Deceleration Flatwork (x4)
Intermediate: (show all!)
Circle Work - Big circles, small circles, change of direction, change of speed and inside circles
Advanced: (show all!)
Bypass (or call to hand), front cross, blind cross, rear cross on the flat, send ahead
____
Beginning Notes:
Looking at rewarding your dog for following your motion cues - if you are moving forward, the dog should drive ahead with forward focus, if the handler decelerates, the dog should come back into you. There are four exercises that should each be done on both sides, the acceleration exercises should always be rewarded ahead with a thrown treat or toy. The deceleration exercises should be rewarded from your hand for coming back into you.
Note: If your dog doesn't have a stay, you can throw a treat in the opposite direction to let you get ahead
Acceleration: Dog will always be rewarded ahead with thrown reward
- Accel #1: Hold back dog, throw toy ahead, release and race dog to toy (Go on - get it!)
- Accel #2: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward, release and run forward indicating what side you want the dog to come to, as the dog catches up to you, throw toy ahead and continue to race dog to the toy (Go on - get it!)
Deceleration: Dog will always be rewarded from your hand
- Decel #1: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward, release and run forward, indicating what side you want the dog to come to, as the dog catches up to you, decelerate quickly and come to a stop, reward from your hand when the dog comes into you
- Decel #2: Dog on stay, lead out facing forward and stand still, release and indicate what side you want the dog to come to, stand still and reward your dog from your hand when they come into you
Video demonstration in the beginning of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZcbX0aVwcg
Intermediate Notes:
Circle work helps teach the dog to stay on the side of the body we've indicated and run smoothly with us without cutting behind, in front or jumping on us. This also teaches the dog to follow your motion and accelerate around your body.
The key to good circle work is making it fun for the dog and making the handler not pass out from vertigo - reward often and keep your circles BIG for the most part. When introducing this behavior, reward every few steps remembering to keep your dog on the OUTSIDE of the circle (in the beginning!). If your dog is lagging, reward ahead with a thrown reward so the dog has to accelerate around your body. If your dog is forging and cutting you off, reward at your side. I recommend starting by running around an object to make sure you give yourself big enough circles.
Start slowly and build up to a run, big circles, little circles. Add in change of speed, go from slow to fast, from fast to slow. Add in front and rear crosses as well. Only once your dog is running smoothly with outside circles should you introduce inside circles (dog is now on the inside, handler on the outside). This requires much finesse and the dog must understand how not to cut you off. Start slowly, reward at your side, add more motion once they've gained confidence.
Video: https://youtu.be/yDR5SLjgjc0
Advanced Notes:
Dogs of any level benefit by going back to flatwork, it will show you holes in your training and help your handling on courses if the dog really understands what you want. These exercises rely on using a blatant lure, such as a dead toy or a bowl with food (a cooler or manners minder is another option!). We want the dog to be focused on their reward, but choose to follow our body language to get there, even though it would be much faster and easier not to!
Start easy to help your dog be successful, reward them for coming to you rather than straight towards the reward, and once they understand the concept, you can fade out the middle reward and just use your send to the toy/bowl on the ground as their reward. Make sure you mix in enough sends straight ahead that they don't lose that attraction to going straight!
If your dog hasn't seen this set up before, the front cross with you on your dog's line is the easiest set up. Put your dog on a stay, straight in front of their reward on the ground, lead out halfway between the two on your dog's line, release and really make sure to show your dog what you have to help them not continue on to the reward, but come with you instead (another toy or treats, depending on what your dog will respond best to). After a few repetitions with the intermediate step, fade the middle reward and release towards the dead toy/bowl, front cross and turn them 180 degrees in the opposite direction, then front cross again to release them to the reward with your 'get it' cue.
Set up the following skills, asking your dog to follow your body language instead of just driving straight to the reward:
- Front Cross on the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Front Cross off the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Blind Cross on the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Blind Cross off the dog's line (stationary and in motion)
- Rear cross on the flat off the dog's line
- Bypass on the dog's line (or come to hand)
- Bypass off the dog's line (or come to hand)
Video examples (Does not cover all of the above, and I did not show much in motion, which you should definitely proof!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0Tx-YuZVQ
Limp Dog
Beginning:
- Lay on Side
Intermediate:
- Lay on Back ('Bang!')
- Roll Over
Advanced:
- Bang at a distance
- Roll over at a distance
- Bang while you walk 360 degrees (head down, dog stays still)
Challenge:
- Bang on recall
- 'Stick em up' and Bang
- Limp dog pick up
- Multiple Rolls x 3 (both directions)
____
Various levels of 'Limp Dog Tricks' Video - Starts with showing how I lure a dog into the various positions, then looking at some more advanced moves (but unfortunately the video cut off for the cute bang on recall and two dog at once stuff - darn!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZmmG5FmFU
Beginning Notes:
All of these tricks begin with the dog lying on their side, so we want to get that behavior first. This is a behavior that works well with a lure, but you could also use a nose target to help as well. With the dog in a down, take a treat on the dog's nose and bring it back towards their shoulder, first mark and reward just for following the treat, and then start looking for any body motion/weight shift towards laying on their side - I look for that initial hip to go onto their side. Keep in mind that dogs usually have a preference in which way they would prefer to go, so try both and see if one way is easier than the other.
Continue to use the lure to help the dog progressively get closer to flat on their side, with the mark/click is their cue that they can now go back to 'upright'. Once you get them closer to flat, reward in position, but without the click - as usually dogs will spring upright with the mark as that ends the behavior. Continue to reward in position, trying to reward with their head close to flat on the ground - use your 'stay' cue if need be to help them understand you want them to continue in that position without moving. If they are struggling with the 'still' portion, try some reverse luring.
At no point should you try to stop the dog from going back to an upright position, if you physically try to 'force' the dog down, that just triggers their opposition reflex and makes it worse - let it be the dog's idea. Fade your food lure to a hand lure, and once the dog starts offering the behavior, put a cue on it. My cue for this position is 'relax', and I use this one most of time - for some dogs, this is a more comfortable position than on their back and doubles as their 'bang' trick as well.
Intermediate Notes:
Getting the dog onto their back and then rolling over is just progressing with the luring you started with getting the dog to lie on their side. Take the treat and continue to lure to encourage the dog onto their back - mark and reward in position. And for rollover just continue all the way over, rolling completely onto the new side, rewarding for that behavior.
Make sure you fade the lure and introduce separate and distinct cues for all three behaviors, so they don't get them confused - especially if your hand signal looks the same for all of them!
Advanced Notes:
Adding distance and duration to your behaviors, proofing to see if they really understand what you're looking for (and it's cute!)
Challenge Notes:
These are fun tricks to look at in conjunction with other behaviors. 'Bang on Recall' is calling your dog and 'shooting' them on their way so they fall over. 'Stick em Up to Bang' is the dog sitting pretty and falling over. Bang at a distance is a fun trick overall, and the one that I have never trained is the 'picking up a limp dog'. My dogs are just way too stiff for this trick, but if you have a dog that actually relaxes, you can slowly work on having them remain relaxed while you pick them up (very cute!).
- Lay on Side
Intermediate:
- Lay on Back ('Bang!')
- Roll Over
Advanced:
- Bang at a distance
- Roll over at a distance
- Bang while you walk 360 degrees (head down, dog stays still)
Challenge:
- Bang on recall
- 'Stick em up' and Bang
- Limp dog pick up
- Multiple Rolls x 3 (both directions)
____
Various levels of 'Limp Dog Tricks' Video - Starts with showing how I lure a dog into the various positions, then looking at some more advanced moves (but unfortunately the video cut off for the cute bang on recall and two dog at once stuff - darn!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZmmG5FmFU
Beginning Notes:
All of these tricks begin with the dog lying on their side, so we want to get that behavior first. This is a behavior that works well with a lure, but you could also use a nose target to help as well. With the dog in a down, take a treat on the dog's nose and bring it back towards their shoulder, first mark and reward just for following the treat, and then start looking for any body motion/weight shift towards laying on their side - I look for that initial hip to go onto their side. Keep in mind that dogs usually have a preference in which way they would prefer to go, so try both and see if one way is easier than the other.
Continue to use the lure to help the dog progressively get closer to flat on their side, with the mark/click is their cue that they can now go back to 'upright'. Once you get them closer to flat, reward in position, but without the click - as usually dogs will spring upright with the mark as that ends the behavior. Continue to reward in position, trying to reward with their head close to flat on the ground - use your 'stay' cue if need be to help them understand you want them to continue in that position without moving. If they are struggling with the 'still' portion, try some reverse luring.
At no point should you try to stop the dog from going back to an upright position, if you physically try to 'force' the dog down, that just triggers their opposition reflex and makes it worse - let it be the dog's idea. Fade your food lure to a hand lure, and once the dog starts offering the behavior, put a cue on it. My cue for this position is 'relax', and I use this one most of time - for some dogs, this is a more comfortable position than on their back and doubles as their 'bang' trick as well.
Intermediate Notes:
Getting the dog onto their back and then rolling over is just progressing with the luring you started with getting the dog to lie on their side. Take the treat and continue to lure to encourage the dog onto their back - mark and reward in position. And for rollover just continue all the way over, rolling completely onto the new side, rewarding for that behavior.
Make sure you fade the lure and introduce separate and distinct cues for all three behaviors, so they don't get them confused - especially if your hand signal looks the same for all of them!
Advanced Notes:
Adding distance and duration to your behaviors, proofing to see if they really understand what you're looking for (and it's cute!)
Challenge Notes:
These are fun tricks to look at in conjunction with other behaviors. 'Bang on Recall' is calling your dog and 'shooting' them on their way so they fall over. 'Stick em Up to Bang' is the dog sitting pretty and falling over. Bang at a distance is a fun trick overall, and the one that I have never trained is the 'picking up a limp dog'. My dogs are just way too stiff for this trick, but if you have a dog that actually relaxes, you can slowly work on having them remain relaxed while you pick them up (very cute!).
Freeshaping a Head Shake
The goal of this exercise is to work on your shaping skills, so no luring, just using your clicker or verbal marker and focusing on your timing
____
Notes:
This challenge is for all levels, the same task - freeshape your dog to shake their head
- BREAK IT DOWN - don't be afraid to reward even the slightest try in the right direction
- HIGH RATE OF REINFORCEMENT - especially in the beginning of the behavior, keep your rate of reinforcement very high so you don't get a lot of 'junk' behaviors. Once the dog is getting the idea, then think about holding out with your marker to see if it helps your dog clarify what it is your looking for - but when it doubt, keep it high
- PLACEMENT OF REWARD - You might not be able to move, but you CAN throw - think about where your placement of reward might help your dog be successful.
- SET YOUR DOG UP SUCCESS - It will be easiest if your dog is in a sit, so you don't get as many possible behaviors
Sped up video of a shaping session:
https://youtu.be/eY9-CH7MK3c
____
Notes:
This challenge is for all levels, the same task - freeshape your dog to shake their head
- BREAK IT DOWN - don't be afraid to reward even the slightest try in the right direction
- HIGH RATE OF REINFORCEMENT - especially in the beginning of the behavior, keep your rate of reinforcement very high so you don't get a lot of 'junk' behaviors. Once the dog is getting the idea, then think about holding out with your marker to see if it helps your dog clarify what it is your looking for - but when it doubt, keep it high
- PLACEMENT OF REWARD - You might not be able to move, but you CAN throw - think about where your placement of reward might help your dog be successful.
- SET YOUR DOG UP SUCCESS - It will be easiest if your dog is in a sit, so you don't get as many possible behaviors
Sped up video of a shaping session:
https://youtu.be/eY9-CH7MK3c
Stay Proofing
IMPULSE CONTROL (or 'Self Control', to be more precise)
Beginning:
- Dog understands and immediately releases on a verbal cue
- Stay while you put down bowl of food (any distance) and stand up completely - release with verbal only
- Leaves a treat alone placed in front of dog until released
Intermediate:
- Stay while you put bowl of food down (5 feet) AND do two position changes sit/stand/down behaviors before being released to food (handler can be next to the dog)
- Stay with three pieces of food on the dog (any position)
Advanced:
- Stay while you put down food bowl (8-10 feet) AND do 3 position changes (from a distance) AND walk 360 degrees around the dog AND back away from the food bowl
- Stay with 10 pieces of food on the dog (in any location in any position)
- Stay while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Stay while you throw food
- Stay while you throw toys
- Stay while you play with another dog (if you don't have another dog, then play with another person or imaginary dog ;-)
- Stay with treat in front of them while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Hold treat on nose (or top of head if they don't have enough of a snout) for 5 seconds (no hands!)
- Stay while you release another dog next to them with handler out of sight (if you don't have another dog, use a person, if you don't have another person, then, uh, go out of sight and have a party by yourself
Challenge:
- Food refusal: Dog turns their head away from food offered to them on cue "Do you like broccoli?"
Training Notes:
Stays should not be serious business, they are a trick like anything else. I want my dogs to break their stays, so it becomes very clear to them that it's a black and white behavior - if they break, the rewards go away - if they stay, they get to play. No pressure, no stress, no negatives, no arguments. I want them to be successful, I want them to have a good time, I want them to know exactly what they need to do to be rewarded. If they ever seem confused or are struggling, then I need to go back to basics and show them what I want.
Most stay issues are not dog issues, they are people issues - people tend to be inconsistent and not clear what they expect from the dog, their criteria changes from day to day and from exercise to exercise. It's certainly very clear which handlers have different criteria in trials as opposed to practice - it's not that the dogs are 'ring-wise', it's the handler has different criteria depending on the environment. The more places and exercises your dog sees where it's clear and consistent what their job is, the more relaxed and easy the stay will be for them.
Release Cue:
Just as important as the stay, you need to make sure your dog really knows what their release cue is before you start looking at proofing stays. If your dog is uncertain about this, they'll be tentative releasing from their stays, or inconsistent on what they release with. Many people pair their release cue with a physical gesture or always pair it with their motion, which your dog can anticipate and misread. The more your dog struggles with their stay, the more you need to be absolutely clear what they're release word is, and that their release is on the verbal cue only, not your body language. Before proofing your stays, introduce your release word with a fun game:
- Forward Release: You can do this with a dog that doesn't have a stay at all, and should do this BEFORE training the stay. Put your dog on leash and hold them back as you throw a treat forward away from you. When they are pulling and focused forward to the reward, use your release word and immediately drop the leash for them to drive forward and get their treat. This is NOT a stay, this has nothing to do with the dog other than pairing the release of the leash pressure with the verbal cue, so they are associating it with they are now free to get their reward. If your dog is tentative or does not go to the thrown reward when you use your release, you know you need to work on it. This is not about duration, you don't want them to be thinking about it, throw, release and drop the leash.
Reverse Luring: I use a form of active reverse luring to train stays. Reverse luring means that I will actively entice the dog with the reward, and as long as the dog stays in position, the reward will come to them (or they will be released). If they break, then the reward immediately disappears and the game stops. I find actively waving the treat to be more clear to the dog than just passively offering a treat in the hand. When I go from actively waving to still when they move, it's a big, clear signal that something has changed and they should think about what just happened. I can introduce this to any dog, regardless of age and they usually pick it up very quickly.
With my dog in a sit or down (or on a platform, which I find can help) I will quickly wave the treat and immediately give it to the dog before the dog even has a chance to think about moving. At this point, the dog has no idea what the exercise is. I will do this several times, hopefully getting my treat in before they move. Then I will start slowly adding more duration to my wave, but very gradually. I do want my dog to try to go for the treat at this point, so I can immediately freeze and make the treat go away as soon as they move out of position. I will recue the position, wave the treat and make them successful, and then go back to trying to add more duration, just standing right in front of my dog, waving the treat. As long as they stay in position the treat will come to them, as soon as they move out of position, the treat goes away. Dogs pick up very quickly that ignoring the waving treat and staying in position is what makes the game go. From there I will just keep adding more duration, distance and distraction (separately), using my reverse luring to help my dog understand what I'm looking for.
Once I've added a stay cue and my dog understands the game, I'll then add the food dish by just waving the food dish, just like I did the cookie. And once my dog understands the stay game, I want to test it out in all sorts of ways!
Some video examples:
https://youtu.be/8iUMEaY_s-A
Beginning:
- Dog understands and immediately releases on a verbal cue
- Stay while you put down bowl of food (any distance) and stand up completely - release with verbal only
- Leaves a treat alone placed in front of dog until released
Intermediate:
- Stay while you put bowl of food down (5 feet) AND do two position changes sit/stand/down behaviors before being released to food (handler can be next to the dog)
- Stay with three pieces of food on the dog (any position)
Advanced:
- Stay while you put down food bowl (8-10 feet) AND do 3 position changes (from a distance) AND walk 360 degrees around the dog AND back away from the food bowl
- Stay with 10 pieces of food on the dog (in any location in any position)
- Stay while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Stay while you throw food
- Stay while you throw toys
- Stay while you play with another dog (if you don't have another dog, then play with another person or imaginary dog ;-)
- Stay with treat in front of them while you leave the room (20 seconds)
- Hold treat on nose (or top of head if they don't have enough of a snout) for 5 seconds (no hands!)
- Stay while you release another dog next to them with handler out of sight (if you don't have another dog, use a person, if you don't have another person, then, uh, go out of sight and have a party by yourself
Challenge:
- Food refusal: Dog turns their head away from food offered to them on cue "Do you like broccoli?"
Training Notes:
Stays should not be serious business, they are a trick like anything else. I want my dogs to break their stays, so it becomes very clear to them that it's a black and white behavior - if they break, the rewards go away - if they stay, they get to play. No pressure, no stress, no negatives, no arguments. I want them to be successful, I want them to have a good time, I want them to know exactly what they need to do to be rewarded. If they ever seem confused or are struggling, then I need to go back to basics and show them what I want.
Most stay issues are not dog issues, they are people issues - people tend to be inconsistent and not clear what they expect from the dog, their criteria changes from day to day and from exercise to exercise. It's certainly very clear which handlers have different criteria in trials as opposed to practice - it's not that the dogs are 'ring-wise', it's the handler has different criteria depending on the environment. The more places and exercises your dog sees where it's clear and consistent what their job is, the more relaxed and easy the stay will be for them.
Release Cue:
Just as important as the stay, you need to make sure your dog really knows what their release cue is before you start looking at proofing stays. If your dog is uncertain about this, they'll be tentative releasing from their stays, or inconsistent on what they release with. Many people pair their release cue with a physical gesture or always pair it with their motion, which your dog can anticipate and misread. The more your dog struggles with their stay, the more you need to be absolutely clear what they're release word is, and that their release is on the verbal cue only, not your body language. Before proofing your stays, introduce your release word with a fun game:
- Forward Release: You can do this with a dog that doesn't have a stay at all, and should do this BEFORE training the stay. Put your dog on leash and hold them back as you throw a treat forward away from you. When they are pulling and focused forward to the reward, use your release word and immediately drop the leash for them to drive forward and get their treat. This is NOT a stay, this has nothing to do with the dog other than pairing the release of the leash pressure with the verbal cue, so they are associating it with they are now free to get their reward. If your dog is tentative or does not go to the thrown reward when you use your release, you know you need to work on it. This is not about duration, you don't want them to be thinking about it, throw, release and drop the leash.
Reverse Luring: I use a form of active reverse luring to train stays. Reverse luring means that I will actively entice the dog with the reward, and as long as the dog stays in position, the reward will come to them (or they will be released). If they break, then the reward immediately disappears and the game stops. I find actively waving the treat to be more clear to the dog than just passively offering a treat in the hand. When I go from actively waving to still when they move, it's a big, clear signal that something has changed and they should think about what just happened. I can introduce this to any dog, regardless of age and they usually pick it up very quickly.
With my dog in a sit or down (or on a platform, which I find can help) I will quickly wave the treat and immediately give it to the dog before the dog even has a chance to think about moving. At this point, the dog has no idea what the exercise is. I will do this several times, hopefully getting my treat in before they move. Then I will start slowly adding more duration to my wave, but very gradually. I do want my dog to try to go for the treat at this point, so I can immediately freeze and make the treat go away as soon as they move out of position. I will recue the position, wave the treat and make them successful, and then go back to trying to add more duration, just standing right in front of my dog, waving the treat. As long as they stay in position the treat will come to them, as soon as they move out of position, the treat goes away. Dogs pick up very quickly that ignoring the waving treat and staying in position is what makes the game go. From there I will just keep adding more duration, distance and distraction (separately), using my reverse luring to help my dog understand what I'm looking for.
Once I've added a stay cue and my dog understands the game, I'll then add the food dish by just waving the food dish, just like I did the cookie. And once my dog understands the stay game, I want to test it out in all sorts of ways!
Some video examples:
https://youtu.be/8iUMEaY_s-A
Play Games
Goofy play!:
Personal play is an underrated activity - not for any other reason other than to have a good time with your dog. It doesn't have to be serious, structured or involve any treats or toys - dogs just enjoy spending time with us. Spend a couple minutes playing with your dog, if it's not something you do often you'll get to see how they like to play.
Try it sitting on the ground at first and being very gentle and quiet - sometimes we can be overbearing in our play, and we don't want to scare them! Games that some dogs enjoy are chasing your hands on the ground, playing 'bitey face' with your hands, gentle pushes, playful tail grabs, pat their sides, muss their hair. For dogs that enjoy more active games, run around with them, wrestle, push them around, laugh and have a good time. Some dogs don't want to have any physical contact, but they love a good game of keep away and chase. Some dogs are TOO rough, in which case you want to bring your energy down to help them understand not to take you out ;-)
Think about how dogs play with each other, stalking, freezing, running, inviting. Think about how your particular dog plays with other dogs, are they more physical or do they enjoy distance play? This is a great way to know how to bring out the 'silly'' in your dog, and the more you play with them, the more they will relax and enjoy it.
Make sure every dog gets a chance to play one on one, without the interference of other dogs - this is just special time for them!
Moving Play: https://youtu.be/PpNwX6XvgUg
Sitting Play: https://youtu.be/HckfMrh_A74
NOT INCLUDED: Loud play - this would be what Haku does, which is just bark continuously at the top of his lungs. He had a good time though .
Hide n Seek:
Depending on your dog, you can either leave your dog in a stay, or toss down some treats and sneak away to go hide somewhere in the house. Set up your camera beforehand with a view of where you are hidden, see how long it takes for them to find you. You can call them if needed! Play when they find you and tell them how clever they are <3 Post your video!
- For experienced dog, take this outside or on the road!
Play with Five New Objects:
Choose five random objects your dog has never played with before - bottles, towels, cardboard box, a pen, a roll of tape, plastic bag, a Tupperware container - it could be anything. Can you make it into a toy? Spend some time trying to make playing with non-toy objects and see if, once again, the dog understands that it's playing with you that makes them fun. Video and send in the results!
Opening Presents:
Take some junk mail, paper flyers, packing paper or some other paper material you were just planning on getting rid of anyway. Place some treats in the middle and crumple and twist into layers to make little mystery balls of treats - let your dog 'open' the presents!
Catching Treats:
I'm always amazed at how many dogs are not able to do this, it's not something they're either born with or not - it is a trained behavior for most dogs! Get some popcorn and not only throw, but really mark and praise for those efforts that are getting closer. And if your dog DOES know how to catch - show me 10 rapid catches in a row, I'm sure will enjoy that one!
Sausage Roll:
I had never actually played with this with my dogs before, and it turned out that they were not too much into the stinky fish treats I used (though Asher enjoyed rolling in them!). But I think you get the point, it's just a fun and easy game, rolling up treats in a rug teaching them to 'unroll' it to find their treats (and unrolling a rug can eventually be a cute trick in itself for those dogs that have done it before - teach them to unroll it with their nose!)
https://youtu.be/IMGgcmnCM4w
Personal play is an underrated activity - not for any other reason other than to have a good time with your dog. It doesn't have to be serious, structured or involve any treats or toys - dogs just enjoy spending time with us. Spend a couple minutes playing with your dog, if it's not something you do often you'll get to see how they like to play.
Try it sitting on the ground at first and being very gentle and quiet - sometimes we can be overbearing in our play, and we don't want to scare them! Games that some dogs enjoy are chasing your hands on the ground, playing 'bitey face' with your hands, gentle pushes, playful tail grabs, pat their sides, muss their hair. For dogs that enjoy more active games, run around with them, wrestle, push them around, laugh and have a good time. Some dogs don't want to have any physical contact, but they love a good game of keep away and chase. Some dogs are TOO rough, in which case you want to bring your energy down to help them understand not to take you out ;-)
Think about how dogs play with each other, stalking, freezing, running, inviting. Think about how your particular dog plays with other dogs, are they more physical or do they enjoy distance play? This is a great way to know how to bring out the 'silly'' in your dog, and the more you play with them, the more they will relax and enjoy it.
Make sure every dog gets a chance to play one on one, without the interference of other dogs - this is just special time for them!
Moving Play: https://youtu.be/PpNwX6XvgUg
Sitting Play: https://youtu.be/HckfMrh_A74
NOT INCLUDED: Loud play - this would be what Haku does, which is just bark continuously at the top of his lungs. He had a good time though .
Hide n Seek:
Depending on your dog, you can either leave your dog in a stay, or toss down some treats and sneak away to go hide somewhere in the house. Set up your camera beforehand with a view of where you are hidden, see how long it takes for them to find you. You can call them if needed! Play when they find you and tell them how clever they are <3 Post your video!
- For experienced dog, take this outside or on the road!
Play with Five New Objects:
Choose five random objects your dog has never played with before - bottles, towels, cardboard box, a pen, a roll of tape, plastic bag, a Tupperware container - it could be anything. Can you make it into a toy? Spend some time trying to make playing with non-toy objects and see if, once again, the dog understands that it's playing with you that makes them fun. Video and send in the results!
Opening Presents:
Take some junk mail, paper flyers, packing paper or some other paper material you were just planning on getting rid of anyway. Place some treats in the middle and crumple and twist into layers to make little mystery balls of treats - let your dog 'open' the presents!
Catching Treats:
I'm always amazed at how many dogs are not able to do this, it's not something they're either born with or not - it is a trained behavior for most dogs! Get some popcorn and not only throw, but really mark and praise for those efforts that are getting closer. And if your dog DOES know how to catch - show me 10 rapid catches in a row, I'm sure will enjoy that one!
Sausage Roll:
I had never actually played with this with my dogs before, and it turned out that they were not too much into the stinky fish treats I used (though Asher enjoyed rolling in them!). But I think you get the point, it's just a fun and easy game, rolling up treats in a rug teaching them to 'unroll' it to find their treats (and unrolling a rug can eventually be a cute trick in itself for those dogs that have done it before - teach them to unroll it with their nose!)
https://youtu.be/IMGgcmnCM4w
