Clean Run Magazine - January 2008 - 49

In much the same way as the bounce into position game performed on the dogwalk plank, I prop up the teeter on one end so that the other end is slightly off the ground and ask my dog to get into the two-on/two-off position. I want the front feet to hit the teeter board close to the end, followed immediately by the rear feet as the front feet move off the board into the two-on/two-off position. As the dog gains more confidence I raise the height of the drop. I encourage the weight transfer during this game by tugging with a toy and by delivering food in such a way as to encourage a slight rock back. As an alternative to a toy, I have also used a Greenie, bully stick, and pig’s ear for the dog to grab and tug with. COURTESY OF RACHEL SANDERS Prop up the teeter on one end so that the other end is slightly off the ground. Starting the dog from the side of the plank, ask the dog to get into the two-on/two-off position. As the dog gains confidence, gradually raise the height of the drop. Routine Maintenance Work Think back to how much training went into building your dog’s initial contact performance. Now consider how long it has been since you focused on contact training and how much you may have let your performance criteria slip during competition. It is not so surprising that the initial speed and accuracy we had may have dwindled. Once you train your ideal contact performance, you need to maintain it. This means that you need to do some back-to-basics contact training with your dog once every two weeks or so. My maintenance work includes: Position work Release work Speed work In addition, if I have noticed any deviation from my ideal contact performance in competition, then I will focus more on one area than another. Here are some typical examples: If I notice that my dog is turning in toward me during his contact behavior in the ring, then I will work on some simple backchaining while I stand behind my dog or off to the side. I reward only the responses that meet the contact criteria I have set. In the case of turning toward me, I’m looking for the dog to have two front paws straight at the end of the board, with his head straight and low. I can further reinforce the correct response by releasing my dog forward to a toy on the ground or by asking for nose touches. Since the nose touches must be between the two front paws, the release should occur when my dog is facing straight ahead. If I notice my dog self-releasing when there is a set of weave poles or a tunnel directly ahead of the contact, I vary my release work to include different obstacles as the reward following the contact. I’ll practice this until the response from the dog consistently meets my wait-for-release criteria. If my dog starts to reach forward on the teeter and is not maintaining the weight transfer, for example, I may go back and encourage the weight shift by playing tug on the teeter before I release. In Conclusion To develop and maintain speed and accuracy on contacts we must develop a behavior that is comfortable for our dogs to perform. We must strive to train the behavior so that the performance is clearly understood and build in a history of reinforcement so our dogs enjoy performing the obstacle while meeting the criteria we have set. D Rachel Sanders has competed in agility since 1994, and with her Border Collie, Whist, and JRT, Trump, has won three USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility Championships and a Steeplechase Championship. Rachel and BC Fable are members of the 2008 USDAA World Team and will be among those representing the U.S. at the IFCS Agility World Championships. In addition to seminars she teaches full time at her agility center in Atascadero, California. Contact her at www.fastforwarddogsports.com. January 08 | Clean Run 49
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Clean Run Magazine - January 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2008
