Hi everyone,
Here are a few places you should focus your attention between now and the start of HT2.
1) luring on the side:
- aim to lure head high and with the appropriate 'pace' for your dog that you can see/feel them actively supplying energy up into the hand. Look for a bit of expression in the work - we're trying to capture this as much as head and body position. You'll notice that a lot of the luring examples in the class are rather 'energy-less'. You'll want to balance this, gaining more energy in the side luring than I was with the dogs we demo'd. This is place where you can not only capture the mechanics for heeling, but also the energy and attitude. Here we can teach the dog to 'drive' from the rear and 'lift' in the front.
2) Power-ups, which become 'bridge behaviors'
- get these on verbal cue alone. Our goal is that the dog LOVES doing them, even offers them up. Don't worry about them on the side (heel) position for now. Priority is that verbal cue gains the behavior and the dog is quick about them. We'll use them heavily later. Focus most on spins and hand touches.
3) Hand Touch - ensure the dog can touch the unbaited hand clearly, consistently, and with energy. Spend your time here. Make it special by not overusing it once it's initially taught, but jackpot it when you do offer it up as a behavior for the dog to do. The dog should also be able to do multiple touches, building in energy on the second or third one if not rewarded for the first.
4) Focal point - transfer this to your side and proof the dog's commitment to the side of the face. Remember handling mechanics: reward placement, reload from behind the back, and proofing the dog to not interfere with the left hand with food in it.
5) Engagement- see if you can open up sessions, and gain real energy (emotional switch) from your dog when you verbally cue the beginning of a session. Most dogs know (context) when it's time to train. Try surprising your dog by calling them into training (ready to work?) when you're in a different room. See if that phrase really 'opens' an opportunity to them - you'll know by the urgency with which they rush into the training!
6) New Environments - take your training on the road. Prioritize engagement over all else in new places. Make sure your dog 'pushes' for the training!
7) Physical aptitude - keep backing your dogs up, keep having them climb onto or crawl under things. Keep them loose, strong, confident and able. Challenge them by having them work onto less stable or smaller platforms - front or back feet, or both. Keep this work fun.
8) Teach non-heeling things. While we don't cover them in detail, teach position changes (however you'd like) and practice duration in these behaviors. If you've got a down stay, start positioning it as a 'standby' for your dog within sessions. You can have separate cues for a 'down' that means 'you'll be here for awhile so may as well rock your hip and chill' versus a downstay that implies 'stay focused because we're likely to get going again soon'.
9) Handler Mechanics: reward placement, behind the back reloading, food management, clear markers & differentiation between terminal and duration, etc.
These things I'd focus on specifically for the next class. You all, individually, are in such a good place with your training. Everyone has willing dogs, eager to interact, which is most important for this dynamic precision work.
