Working on 2On 2Off Contacts with Strider

Hello everyone!

This week, I am going a little back in time with my training and basically REtraining my contacts with Strider.  After a good lesson and very informative help from my awesome trainer, we decided that Strider definitely needed some work and reteaching with his two-on two-off contacts.  We found that when working with him, he really didn’t fully understand the concept of “touch” that I have been using for over a year now.  Instead of teaching him to touch a target with his foot for his two-on two-off, I am going to be training the drive that is needed for him to get down as quick as possible and hold the contact.

By training him in this new way, with a focus more on his drive, we are going to be taking a huge step backwards and training this contact from scratch.  This means we will be doing lots of foundation work before we advance to running a full dog walk or having him race over the A-frame.  I  invite you to follow these same steps and train your dog using these steps in order to perfect your contact and better your dog’s performance.

To begin, we will start with the downside of either the teeter or dog walk, and place a target at the end.  The point of this training is to not have the dog performing the entire obstacle, but rather just the contact portion of it.  With this being said, if you do not have a teeter or dog walk, feel free to use a 12 in wide plank that is raised up by a brick or a low pause table.  Now, with your dog on a leash, show him the tasty treat and hold him back as you place it on the target.  Now circle around the teeter and load your dog onto the end of it.  Pull back on the leash and create the necessary drive by providing tension and holding them back.  Release the dog using your cue word for the contact (mine is ‘touch’) and they should drive down the target and perform the two-on two-off behavior.  Practice this many times until your dog is comfortable and fully understands what you are asking him to do, then move on to step two.

For step two, you will still not be having the dog run the full ramp, but you will add some distance to your contact.  Have the dog go to the halfway point on the downside of the ramp and have him sit and stay.  Place a treat on your target and stand back with the dog and release him with the ‘touch’ cue (or whatever cue you want).  He ideally should drive into contact position with a two-on two-off.  

Continue these baby steps until your dog fully understands what is expected of him.  Once this is achieved, you can have him run the full length of the dog walk.

Happy training!

Hayley

Turns into Tunnels/Training Lefts and Rights

Hello everyone!

In this week’s video, I will be demonstrating how to train your dog the foundations of the left and right turn cues.  These are useful when you need to let your dog know what direction to go if the dog is ahead of you in a course.  When trained properly, these cues can create a smooth run and help your dog know where they are going.  This kind of cue does take a little while to perfect, so make sure you take the time to work on the foundation of it before you add in any obstacles.

1. To begin the foundation work, begin standing with your dog between your legs.
2. Tap the left hip of the dog, and when he turns his head, click and reward the behavior, but do not add in the cue word yet.
3. After you repeat this behavior and your dog begins to understand the concept, add in the cue word “left” and when the dog looks left, click and reward.
4. Repeat these same steps on the right side as well.
5. Once the dog understands the above basic forms of left and right, you can add a jump with
6. bars on the ground, or a tunnel, open at a curve.
7. Use the cue words right and left to direct your dog into the respective obstacles.

Another way to train lefts and rights, is to set up 3 jumps with targets.  Set one jump straight out, one on the right, and one on the left. Give the dog the left, right, or go (straight jump) cue and also give the “touch” command so they drive towards the target.  Click, reward, and repeat.

Continue this basic foundation for at least a week before moving on to sequences.

Leave any questions below!

Happy training!

Hayley

Double Box Drill with Strider

Hello everyone!

In this week’s video I will be utilizing a jump box drill that I did at my Handling 2 class last week.  This box drill is helpful because it helps you practice creating lines for your dog in order for them to have a smoother run.  Front crosses, blind crosses, and rear crosses can all be utilized with this drill, and it is important to find what best works for you depending on the sequence you are doing.

Seven jumps are used and set up in two boxes that share one of the jumps.  A tunnel,  teeter (in the video), or weave poles is also used and should be set up outside of the boxes.  This drill is also helpful because you can practice start line stays in not only straight line, but at angles as well.

In the video, you will see how I handled the jumps with two different sequences and how I made use of front crosses, blind crosses, and rear crosses within those sequences.  Also, just because I use a certain cross in a sequence, doesn’t mean you have to do it the same; it is important to handle this drill in a way that works for you and your dog.  I like this drill because you can create so many sequences out of it and the possibilities are virtually endless.  Remember when you practice this with your dog to always create ‘lines’ for them and use your entire body to help indicate where you want them to go next.  Also, never forget to reward your dog and keep it fun!

Thanks for watching!

Hayley