Focus Fun September Week 4

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Topic –

 

 

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Monthly Drill Progression

 

 

 

 

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PROOFING

 

 

Video Notes – In this video, a Novice class is working on a Line-Up drill.  There are four (4) ring gates set up.  Each person is to Line-Up in a different direction to the gate and visits all four gates.  During the drill, students were to watch focus and attention during the Line-Up.  Also, they were to maintain focus and engagement while moving from one location to the next.  If a student’s dog missed the Line-Up, the student was to redo the Line-Up scenario.  This is a great drill.  In general, the dogs needed this practice. During this short session, students were pleasantly surprised to see the improvement in their dogs.

 

Your Task for this Week 

 

BEFORE PROGRESSING, REVIEW YOUR CHECK LIST.

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The final step in “Ring-A-Ling” is sequencing skills and or exercises.  This training also starts to increase the duration or time your dog will work without reward.  This means your dog is staying engaged without extra cues, visible or advertised rewards.

This training is geared toward getting ready to show and NOT for everyday skill training!  A good trainer NEVER sequences the same pattern or combination of skills on a daily basis. 

What you need A dog eager to train. A leash. High value treats and toys. A ring like environment. In this case, I used an opening that my dog and I could go through. A video camera, phone, etc. Always, video training sessions!

Have a plan before you get your dog out. What will you sequence in the training session? Which transitions you will use to and from the ring? What consequences will you use if needed? To start this step, pick 1 exercise to start to sequence if you are doing Obedience, a sign if doing Rally, or a drill or combination of 1-4 obstacles if doing Agility, typically a lead out or start of the course. Randomly add surprise releases and games.

Final Step – adding more skills building on success.

• Have your dog on leash and walk toward and into the “opening” or ring.  Focus should be automatic, and maintained without any visible or advertised rewards, or excessive verbal cues.
• Use your positive or negative markers as needed while training.
• IF your dog will not stay focus at any time, review Week 1-3  before proceeding. It is important to rehearse the focus habit you want later when showing.

Going into the ring,

• • Practice leash on/off if taking your leash off or
  • Engage with your dog, using transitions, to your starting point and Line-Up.
  • Randomly surprise your dog with a game or reward and leave the ring to restart the training process.

NOTE: there should be no extra movement or cuing from you on the Line-Up.  Step into your line-up position and expect your dog to be focused and sitting.

When in the ring,

• • Use your positive and negative markers as needed to communicate with your dog.  This will start to rehearse what you will do when you are showing.
  • Randomly break and play or interact with your dog, leave the ring and restart the practice again.  In other word, do not complete the sequence, instead reward your dog for effort.

When training a sequence of the skills/exercise/drill,

• • Break into a fun game to reward your dog’s effort or focus, leave the ring staying engaged with your dog and repeat the process.
  • Once the planned sequence is complete, transition your dog to the gate, use the leash on/off skill if your dog’s leash is off.
  • Anytime you leave the ring, maintain focus with your dog.

Once you are finished, transition your dog to  a crate, and analyze how the training went and any changes for the next session.

NOTE: Resist the urge to leave the ring and feed treats to your dog.  This is rewarding him for leaving the ring!

Obedience Example:  A recall.  I work with my dog into the ring, maintaining focus and line-up.  I will leave my dog as long as he remains focused and active.  Depending on my dog’s level of training, I will break into a Ready Set Go Game (RSG) while walking away, or if my dog remains focused, I will turn and praise.  During the training session and if my dog’s focus remains good, I will add in a recall and a front with my dog.  Caution: DO NOT always finish from a front.  Break and play, or reward and release, at least 50% of the time when leaving or calling your dog.

Agility Example:  Set up 4 jumps.  I work with my dog into the ring, maintaining focus and line-up before the first obstacle.  As long as my dog remains focused, and active, I will leave and start walking towards and or past the first jump.  On the way, I will either throw a toy back to my dog, or turn and release him to take the first obstacle.  While training, I will add more obstacles only as my dog gains confidence and remains focused.  As a general guideline, I will add games randomly while doing this training to maintain or build more desire.

PROBLEMS?

• Your dog keeps looking at the gate opening and not at you. Reward your dog further away from the opening. If you were going to 5′ feet from the opening, start to play with your dog ant 10′ feet. Continue to do so until your dog is excited to approach the opening.
• When starting to go through the gate, your dog starts to worry.  Take time to reward more when you are approaching the opening.  Do not rush the process or try to go through the opening before your dog is ready.
• During sequencing your dog loses focus.  Break up and randomly reward all portions of a sequence.  This will keep the training fun.

Video Notes:  In this video, Sly, Riker, and I are training for Obedience.  While training, I used different transitions while going into the ring, line-up, or leaving the ring.  Also, I praised for effort and added in random releases and rewards.

Sly is first and the exercise I have picked to train is a Recall.  We work on entering and lining up for an exercise.  He bumps into the ring gate and is rewarded.  Leash on and we train leaving the ring. Next, Sly and I work on going into the ring and knocking down the ring gate.  Hahaha.  Kidding, but I LOVED that the gate falling did not bother Sly at all.  During this session, I liked Sly’s effort and attention going into the ring and the leash on/off skill.  He stays in an “active” state while I walked away from him too.   All this is great habit building for showing later.

Riker is next.  In the first repetition, marker 3.29, Riker lost focus on me.  I pushed him and laughed, then we restarted the process.  We will not continue training a sequence if there is an error.  When Riker gives effort and focus, I release and reward with a thumb touch.  Riker is just starting this concept. 

Video Notes:  In this video, Sly, Riker, and I are sequencing Agility drills.  During this training session, the boys and I work on going into the ring, and lining-up with focus.  We use a variety of transitions to go into the ring and practice with my dog on either my right or left side.  I spend extra time rewarding my stay, this keeps my dog “active” and focused while I do a lead out.  Note, we work on leash on/off skill in every repetition.  BAD TRAINER!  I should have rewarded, at least one great effort from each of my dogs on the leash on/off skill.  I build distance only as my dog shows confidence and stays focused as I walk away.  Never will I continue with a sequence if my dog makes an error.  Even when we leave the ring, we work on leash on/off focus and maintain focus out of the ring.

My goal when training sequencing is to rehearse all the “habits” I would like my dog to have when we show.  Focus, active stays, and engagement are all number 1 on my list. 

 

Your Task for this Week 

 

BEFORE PROGRESSING, REVIEW YOUR CHECK LIST.

PDF

Questions? Ask DebbyQ

 

Your Task for this Week 

 

BEFORE PROGRESSING, REVIEW YOUR CHECK LIST.

PDF

Questions? Ask DebbyQ

 

 

 

 

 

Questions? Ask DebbyQ

PDF Files useful for this week

Focus Fun A-Z 2023-Training-Log

 

Questions? Ask DebbyQ