5. úkoly

O.k., so this is our last lesson and last 3 weeks! This class ends on 13th October – with the next class (that will be a repeat of this one) starting in December, in case you fell somewhat behind and want to continue sending videos. As always, there will be a special price for repeaters.

1. include the dog-walk in sequences, still reward really good ones or really difficult ones, but mostly, keep running as the reward. If the contact is not good, stop and redo. Also, try to go to as many different places and on as many different dog-walks as possible to get the dog used to everything. When first trying it in a new place, use your dog’s favorite set-up, you can also throw a toy in advance again if that helps. Again, new dog-walks can be a very easy step for some dogs, but a very difficult one for others. It’s usually a problem with sensitive dogs and retrains.

2. even if already doing a real DW, let’s go back to the table+low plank set-up, in a separate session from DW training, put a pole at the end of a plank (where the contact meets the ground) and have the dog jump on a contact from the side to wrap a pole. Use your wrap cue first, but then switch to left/right or come/away cues as the pole won’t be there for ever. Click for touching a contact with front feet (not for wrapping) and reward from your hand. Slowly have the dog jump on a plank from further&further away, so that he needs to do a stride and then two before wrapping the pole. Don’t worry if hind feet are together in this case, your major focus are front feet now anyway, front feet are better for turns.

Gradually start them farther&fsrther, use less&less noticeable (smaller and thinner) pole and make a plank higher&higher and then transfer it to the real DW. Tell them left/right after the 1st apex (can be somewhat later for shorter striding dogs and earlier for very long-strided dogs). At first do turns and straight exits in different sessions, then mix it up. A warning: teaching turns might temporary make your straight exits worse (so still do plenty of those too!) – but in a long term improves them as they get even better understanding on how to meet the criteria at different speeds.

See a section on turns on the DVD to get better idea what to look for.

As an alternative, instead of teaching turns, you can teach 2on2off (the same way, on a lower plank first and backchaining it, using a different verbal cue) and then use it for tight turns off the DW. Only introduce 2on2off on a real DW once your running contacts are good enough.

3. new rear end awareness trick – backward weaving: tell the dog to go into heel position and start spinning as we were doing on the target, then very suddenly stop and step back with the other leg (if the dog is at left side – with right leg), you can also make a gesture with left hand to try to get them to keep circling below the heeling position, eventually all the way around you leg, so that they come backwards between your legs back into front position. If the dog insists on staying in heel position, you can help with the hand a little bit, lure his head out (left for 90 degrees if the dog is on left side) and say back to have them back up in your direction. Step back with the other leg enough to have them back up between your legs. Reward and tell them to heel on the other side (right) and repeat the process. As soon as you get some smoothness with that, stop rewarding for coming in between, always first tell them to come to the other leg and reward at your side in order to avoid having them back up too far – they need to stay very close to your legs all the time.

Good luck for your future RC training and I hope to see you again in another class! You’re welcome to join October Foundations, starting right as this class is ending or then the next RC class in December.