AN INTRO TO VALUE TRANSFER                                 (covered in great detail in the intermediate course)

I decided to insert a short segment within this week's curriculum on value transfer. It not only gives us an opportunity to proof our focus work, but it's a great skill that every dog should learn, and learn early.  The video demonstrations do a great job of summarizing this work with multiple dogs but we should briefly identify what value transfer is before moving forward.

Our ability to shift our dog's perception of value from one location or activity to another is value transfer.

That's a bit of a simple definition but it holds true. This could be as simple as transferring them from chicken to steak as a food reward and then back to chicken again (without losing motivation); or transferring them between toy and food. It also means taking them from a reward event, like tug play or food chasing, and putting them back into obedience work, and them being thrilled that I'm doing so because I've built plenty of equity for the obedience work. Calling my dog happily off of deer and squirrels because they know I can provide them with an equally valuable activity is value transfer (and a hell of a training task for some dogs:). Or training my dog that a crate can be just as great of a place to pass a little time as the backyard could be viewed as value transfer, especially if I take them from the backyard to the crate. 

In this segment, however, we're just going to practice a simple skill. We're going to set up a training scenario and control it in a way that our dog won't fail. And by doing so, we'll further validate ourselves to our dogs, as well as teach them some groundwork for a valuable skill in the process.

Here's how it goes:

For this exercise you will need a leash and collar in case you need to block your dog from making the mistake of accessing the 'decoy' food planted on the ground.

We'll be putting our dog in a sit, asking them to stay, and then plant a tasty piece of food outside of their reach and on the ground in front of them. While they are focused on the food, we will then informally ask them to come with us instead of going for the food. When they do so, we'll reward them handsomely.

    This first video does a nice job of explaining this exercise we'll be practicing with our dog. 

 5 min 13 sec

You've realized by now that I love including footage of other teams working through the exercises that we're covering in this course - it's a great training aid. The following four videos all illustrate the same thing, different teams working through the foundation pieces of this skill. Again, we go further in depth on this topic in the intermediate heeling course, so we'll keep the learning light here, but I do want you to have this very first piece mastered. That piece is the ability to get your dog to whole heartedly leave the decoy food and come with you. Watch as a few other teams work through this.

 ELAINE AND BOW, VALUE TRANSFER

 32 seconds

Notice that Ann doesn't reward moving away from the decoy food in this first repetition. Rewarding as you move away from the competing value is a good way to keep your dog's mind off of it after you've rewarded them for leaving with you.

 ANN & NORMAN, BEGINNING VALUE TRANSFER

 1 min 11 sec

And here's why a leash is necessary when laying the groundwork for this.

LORI & BAXTER, IRONING OUT THE KINKS

 1 min 17 sec

 MIEGS & RIVER, WORKING THROUGH THE DETAILS OF INITIAL VALUE TRANSFER

 27 seconds

I loved this session. I've included this because it's a real-world situation, we couldn't have set this up if we wanted to. In the beginning of this clip you'll hear a thud and notice that River is immediately distracted by a pinecone that fell out of a tree we were working near. You'll also see he has a real hard time forgetting about it. We decided to use this natural event to work our value transfer skills. Miegs does a nice job of (eventually) working though this. Have a look.

MIEGS & RIVER, OVERCOMING THE PINECONE!

3 min 30 sec