Clean Run - May 2020 - 29

Once you have worked each position on both
the clockwise and counterclockwise arcs, using
food as a reward and then toys, progress to
Step 4.

your right. If your dog hits the entry, reward
and take another step to your left, so you are
at 8 o'clock. If your dog misses the entry, stay
at 7 o'clock for a few repetitions before moving
to 8 o'clock.

Starting at 6 o'clock, stand in the same neutral
position as in Step 1, with the dog on your
right. As the dog passes through the poles, he
will be making a correct entry (pole 1 on his
left and pole 2 on his right). Mark and throw
the reward toward 12 o'clock. Bring your
dog back to your right side and repeat this a
few times. Your dog should now be passing
through the poles, making a correct entry, and
looking for his reward to be thrown toward
12 o'clock. At this point, the dog should still
be oﬀering the poles, so you do not want to
say Weave or Poles.

Repeat the process at 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock,
and 11 o'clock. Each time the reward should
be thrown toward 12 o'clock. You want your
dog to understand from the very beginning
how to hit challenging entries and that he
should always enter with pole 1 on his left
and pole 2 on his right. By moving your
starting position each time the dog hits a
correct entry, you are teaching the dog that
your location is not relevant to his
weaving; it's his job to find the entry.

Next you will work around the clock to teach
your dog to hit an entry from any angle. At this
stage, you are sending your dog to the poles,
so you are not moving. Start 3'-5' from the
poles at 6 o'clock, with the dog on your right.
Have the dog at your side, either holding his
collar or gently restraining him. The dog can
also be in a stay at your side and you can use
a release word. If your dog makes the correct
entry, throw the reward toward 12 o'clock and
then take one step to your left to 7 o'clock. If
your dog misses the entry, stay at 6 o'clock for
the next attempt. If it takes him more than one
attempt to hit the entry, stay at 6 o'clock for a
few repetitions before moving to your left to
7 o'clock. See Figure 6.

11
10

1
2

3
8

4
7

Pole 1

Clockwise: Starting with the dog on your right
about 3'-5' from pole 1, work from each location
on the clock between 6 and 11 o'clock. Always
throw rewards (first treats and then a toy)
toward 12 o'clock.

Note: When you stand at each location on the
clock, your shoulders should be facing the
direction the dog needs to move toward to hit
the correct entry. This is the same direction
you would face if you were to move toward
the entry with the dog. This way, the dog does
not have to cut across your plane or veer away
from you to hit the entry.

7
11
10

1
2

3
8

After you finish working the clockwise arc of
the poles (6 o'clock through 11 o'clock), go
back to 6 o'clock with the dog on your left
this time. Repeat the same process on the
counterclockwise arc of the poles, which is 6
o'clock through 1 o'clock. See Figure 7.

When starting from 7 o'clock, you should
again be 3'-5' from the poles with the dog on

Pole 1

4
7

Counterclockwise: Starting with the dog on your
left about 3'-5' from pole 1, work from each
location on the clock between 6 and 1 o'clock.
Always throw rewards (first treats and then a toy)
toward 12 o'clock.

During each step of the training process, you are going to be working your entries
"around the clock." Imagine that your poles are on a clock face. Pole 1 is always at 6 o'clock
and the last pole is always at 12 o'clock. The dog should always pass through
with pole 1 on his left and pole 2 on his right.
STEP 4: Working the Clock with the Dog and Handler in Diﬀerent Locations
handling, then I am changing his focus from
the poles to me; for example, I would not stand
at 7 o'clock with my dog at 2 o'clock since this
would require me to handle him so that he
comes toward me and then turns away from
me to find the entry.

Figures 8 through 11 show the various
locations I stand in during this stage of
training. I generally stand in locations that
do not require any additional handling
because I am asking my dog to find entries
independently of my location. If I have to add

Until now, the dog has been sent to the poles
while you are right next to him. Now you want
to work on having the dog find the entry while
you are in a diﬀerent location. The dog is still
starting 3'-5' from the poles. You still are not
moving during this stage.
8
11

May 20 | Clean Run

Clean Run - May 2020

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