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Handler Power! A very popular training method these days is training with treats to improve the focus and working of your dog in the obedience ring. Many handlers even work hard to chain the events in the ring, while going as far as to back-chain ring experiences to their chairs where they store the goodies for the dog or “jackpot”. While a good method, and certainly a way to entice the dog to a better performance, treats are not something that is allowed in the obedience ring. There are also some common flaws made by most trainers in obedience with the use of food. Recently on a training internet list, a poster said that the food must be given to the dog within 10 seconds of the desired behavior. Wow! Ten seconds is a really long time, and our Golden Retrievers are able to think much faster than that! In 10 seconds most dogs are able to conceive the next action that they should take. Other trainers will reinforce another behavior of the dog, while thinking that they are reinforcing something entirely different. An example of this is the handler who wants their dog to down. The dog will down, then the handler will release the dog and give them a cookie, saying “good dog”! What was really the reinforcement is the release, not the down. However, few trainers can really see this as they are attempting to reinforce the behavior. For my dog’s obedience work, I like to use reinforcers that I can take INTO the obedience ring. That way my dog is being positively motivated for working INSIDE the obedience ring. Although food is a big part of my obedience training repertoire, it is only one tool that I use. I like to also have my dog equally or even more motivated by my voice and my hands. I choose to use my voice versus a clicker as again, I can not take that clicker into the obedience ring, but I can take my voice. So, as I work with food to teach a skill to my dog, I also use my animated voice to let the dog know that it has done a good job. Animation is the key to a rewarding voice reinforcement for my dog and if I see that during a run in the obedience ring she is not performing to my satisfaction, I can use my voice to perk that performance up. My voice is also a good perk up between exercises as we move to the next one. A simple “excellent job girl” or “woo hoo” will tell her that she is very special, just as a treat did in her beginning training. I pair “excellent” with the treat during the initial stages of training, and as training progresses the treat is faded and the “excellent” becomes the rewarding reinforcement. My hands are also used in the same way as my voice. Pairing a scratch under the chin, with a “good girl” for a good effort on an obedience exercise in training, can be brought into the ring while showing to again perk up that performance IN the ring. While training, I am always telling my dog what I want, especially on the heeling exercises. When getting ready to show, though, I do fade out some of the talking at random times and bring it back as needed. This way the dog stays totally focused on you as the handler. I should mention here though, that I also don’t do the “nagging” type of talking such as “come on, come on” or “hurry, hurry, hurry” that is commonly seen with some trainers. Rather, my talk will be in an animated voice and will include some hand and body movements to make “boring old heeling” far more interesting. This type of reinforcement builds a teamwork performance between you and your dog, and is perfectly legal between the exercises while in the obedience ring. It gives you as the handler – the power you need to reinforce your dog’s performance and brings a better work ethic to your canine team-mate. |
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