Clean Run - May 2017 - 20

Collar Cues

Dogs and handlers are regularly connected via leashes by necessity and, in
many places, by law. Most handlers use
the leash to direct or manage their dog's
movement but this is usually through
pulls and pushes that are somewhat less
than refined or precise.

A Positive
Reinforcement Tool
You Can Use, Part 1
By Michele Pouliot, photos courtesy of author

This trained dog
happily moves
to his right when
light pressure is
applied through
the leash.

The Leash Connection-
A Forgotten Tool
The use of the leash for the actual training of behavior is a rarity in positive reinforcement programs, mostly due to
the historical association to traditional
ways of training with a leash being punishment based (i.e., correction, compulsion methods). Commonly, positive reinforcement trainers are either working
with an unleashed dog or the leash is
used only for safety/management. Why
not make use of this leash connection
with our dogs, take it a step beyond a
management instrument, and make it a
positive training tool?
What Is a Collar Cue?
The goal behavior of collar cue response
is for the puppy or dog to move happily
in the direction indicated by light pressure cues felt through the leash. A collar
cue is simply an additional communication tool between handler and dog that
can be used in a variety of scenarios.
20

Goals of Collar Cue Training
* The dog perceives a light application
of collar pressure and desires to move
in the direction that pressure indicates.
* The dog recognizes directional collar
pressure as an opportunity for reward.
* The dog can be moved in a variety
of directions via light directional
leash cues.
What do collar cues trained with positive
reinforcement look like?

How Are Collar Cues Used?
Once trained, collar cues can be used for
basic life skills such as mannerly leash
walking, changing directions on walks,
moving the dog into locations (e.g., under a table, onto a scale).
Advanced level collar cues can be used
to assist in training new behaviors and
improving existing behaviors.
What does the collar cue response
look like?
u Watch this video of a 9-week-old
puppy moving into heel position
upon light collar cues at https://youtu.
be/0HNwwYmFmes or from the May
2017 playlist on the Clean Run Magazine
YouTube channel.

u Watch this video of different dogs
responding to collar cues at https://you
tu.be/p01soRwaZLc or from the May
2017 playlist on the Clean Run Magazine
YouTube channel.

Understanding Pressure Resistance
Before starting training, it's important to
understand the natural impulse behavior to oppose and resist pressure. When
pushed, you push back. When pulled, you
pull back. This is commonly called the opposition reflex. This behavior to resist was
publicized as the freedom reflex by the
1904 Nobel Prize winner, Ivan P. Pavlov.
It is not necessary for you to believe that
resistance to pressure is an actual reflex,
it is important for you to anticipate the
initial resistance to applied pressure. As a
positive reinforcement trainer, I strive to
Clean Run | May 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2017