Clean Run Magazine - June 2009 - 22

adding obstacles when you want to work on independence and drive, you can go far with just one jump. always start out without a bar so the dog can focus on your cues and get used to turning tight around the upright. You want to get your dog to rely on your driving shoulder, your hand that tells him to go ahead, and your verbal cues to go ahead to create a positive attitude in connection with these cues. I divide my verbal cues to go ahead into two categories: Jump, which means “take the jump and turn” and Go Ahead, which means “run ahead.” Let’s focus on the Jump cue. I do my circle work in front of a jump, and occasionally I approach the jump, bring my hand forward, and cue Jump. The hand stays up, pointing toward the jump until the dog has just gotten around the upright. I cue Jump before the jump and praise or mark with my clicker as the dog is in the air over the jump. Then I gradually decrease helping out with my movement, and only support the dog’s line with my hand and voice. To develop a confident and independent dog, I also begin working on moving out to the side and hanging back as the dog approaches the jump. when moving out to the side, be sure to keep supporting the dog with your hand, your voice, and not least, your mind— the power of the mind is a great thing. Adding Obstacles 1 2 3 4 5 6 at the same time, vary the training by keeping the dog observant of your turn and focus cues by sometimes turning the dog and rewarding him before the jump. when teaching the meaning of Go Ahead, I use remote rewards. I place a toy or a bowl with treats at the end of a straight line that has just one jump to start. Hold on to the dog’s collar and work with the motivational stress the same as described in my first article on relationship and motivation: when the dog wants to run, let go and repeat a long, encouraging Go Ahead. Vary your position; sometimes run with the dog and sometimes hang back, but always reward at the end of the line to keep the focus there. as the training progresses, you can leave the dog at the start, walk ahead, rev him up with your voice, and then give a release cue, followed by cues to Go Ahead. When the dog is confident about these cues, you can begin adding all the crosses and cues that you worked on without equipment when working with the jump. I can’t stress enough that the hand closest to the dog should support him until he’s cleared the jump and turned to the new side. For example, if you raise the hand farthest from the dog before the dog has jumped and turned with the rear cross, these cues make it look more like a front cross; so the cues to go ahead and the cues to turn might become mixed up. remember: it’s always your movement and feet that prepare your dog for where he’s going next, not your arm or hand. when you begin working on the blind cross with obstacles, leave the dog at the start and walk out; then work on making sure that the dog responds correctly to your cues about the side he should come to. Vary between working on blind crosses and regular turns to make sure the dog has a solid understanding of which side he should be on. Gradually add more jumps in different sequences. a sequence I use to reinforce the meaning of my arm cues is the star (called a pinwheel in the U.S.). Let your dog go ahead for the jumps while you move in the center with your hand out. Praise with your voice over the jump before bringing your hand down and rewarding. Then increase the meaning of bringing your hand in and changing hands by rewarding the dog for paying attention to the movement and change. In this training, be sure to work to get the dog to react to your hand cues rather than just working to get a good turn. This work can be done anywhere in between the jumps. 22 Clean Run | June 09

Clean Run Magazine - June 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2009