Clean Run - June 2019 - 7

What matters here is consistency-each and every time you want your
dog to turn as he exits a tunnel, he should receive the same information as
he enters. How he receives that information is a matter of personal choice.
The same applies for sending on; your dog needs to know on the way
into the tunnel where he is going when he exits.
and spend a little more time refining
that cue. Don't forget that while we are
testing training here, we still want the
dogs to have fun and enjoy their training time. Think about your rewards and
make sure they are rewards and not
lures. If your dog is struggling, up your
level of reward until you've made playing this game fun.
Figure 2: Start with the basics, check
your lateral distance and your ability
to both send and recall. If your dog
struggles with any part of this, break
it down and make it easier, then build
up to a full send and recall little by
little. Make sure your cue for the next
obstacle is clear and don't forget to
cue the reinforcement, whatever it
may be.
Figure 3: Send with a jump and tunnel
added. The reward markers show how
to break the send down if your dog
has problems.
Figure 4: The same send, but with
other obstacles added. Check the timing of your cues. If your dog fails here,
try moving the distracting obstacles,
shown in green, farther away. Gradually move them closer as your success
rate increases.
Figure 5: Introducing a turn. Move
away all off-course obstacles; we're
aiming to build on success. Let your
dog see you placing the reward out
at R1, then cue the turn as you send
him through the tunnel. Do this a few
times until you're sure the dog has the
idea. Be realistic about the turn that
you expect; much will depend on the
size and mass of your dog. For the big
dogs, a slightly wider turn often requires less collection and so it is faster
overall. Gradually move your starting
point back behind the first jump and
move the reinforcement or place of
reward to R2 on the other side of the
jump. Move the jump to the other side
June 19 | Clean Run

of the tunnel and work the turn in the
other direction.
Figure 6: Make sure you can turn your
dog away from you on cue as well as
turn him around you, if this is allowed
in whatever handling system you are
following. As in the last exercise, first
place the reward a R1 and then move
it to the other side of the jump. Work
the turn in both directions.
Figure 7: Add the distracting obstacles
back in for the full setup, and repeat
the turn work from the previous two
exercises.
Figure 8: Move the green jump farther
away if you have problems. Again,
work this from both sides of the tunnel
and from a send and a recall too. Work
the turn in both directions.
Figure 9: Simple sequences.
Figure 10: Repeat the sequences from
Figure 9 but this time turn the opposite direction out of the tunnel.
Figure 11: More simple sequences.
Check your handling, challenge yourself. Can you turn away as well as
around? Can you recall and turn? Pay
close attention to your dog. Is he exiting the tunnel confidently heading in
the right direction? Remember your
cues on the way into the tunnel.
Figure 12: Three sequences with the
same beginning and different endings.
Figure 13: Adding two choices in the
same sequence. If you have trouble
remembering sequences, try looking
at the pattern or the shape that the
sequence forms, rather than individual
obstacles.
Figure 14: Multiple choice!
Remember, these aren't supposed to
be done in one session! Build your
cues carefully and your dog's confidence with them. D
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Clean Run - June 2019

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