Clean Run - September 2015 - 50

Remember, what may be an on-switch for one dog may be an oﬀ-switch for another dog, and
vice versa. So watch your dog for signs of arousal post-behaviour! Training on- and oﬀ-switch
behaviours from scratch gives us more control over the outcome by developing the mindset we
want the behaviour to produce prior to training the behaviour, but every trick your dog
already knows will represent either an on-switch or an oﬀ-switch to some extent.

How to Train "Middle" as an OﬀSwitch Behaviour
Middle involves your dog moving to a
sit position between your legs. Middle
is a behaviour that requires precision
but also is a great behaviour to get your
dog out of a situation where he may be
anxious or in danger. It's an absolute
necessity for busy environments.

ing the rate of reinforcement while
your dog stays in one place.
4. Now we can work on the final behaviour we want-a sit. You can:

* Your dog may naturally enjoy doing

b. Cue a sit, repeat the chain a
few times with cueing the sit,
and then wait your dog out
for him to offer it.

* Involve movement or positions
your dog enjoys

5. Build duration into maintaining
the sit position between your legs
by manipulating rate of reinforcement again.

2. Do this until your dog is consistently
heading around your leg and then
between your legs. At this point,
placement of the reward should
always be in the final position-
between your legs.
3. Build duration into maintaining position between your legs by providing a rapid rate of reinforcement in
this position. Then work on reduc-

* Have been trained in a fast-paced
and light manner

a. Shape the sit by marking and
rewarding weight shifts backwards until your dog sits.

c. Cue a nose target with your
hand above your dog's head
such that he sits when targeting.

1. To shape this behaviour, we mark
and reward turns and steps towards
the area behind us, rewarding by
placing the treat or toy behind us
and eventually between our legs.

it. Generally, on-switch behaviours are
those that:

Remember, we do not want to build
any frustration or arousal into this behaviour in the training, so the key is to
keep rate of reinforcement at a reasonable level.
On-Switch Behaviours
So now we have discussed off-switch
behaviours, enter the on-switch behavior. Why are they important? On-switch
behaviours mean that we can switch
on arousal when we need it and keep
our dogs in a calm and relaxed state at
other times. These behaviours switch
on motivation by upping the arousal
and enhancing focus, and allow you to
balance arousal in real time in combination with off-switch behaviours.
On-switch behaviours are any behaviour that triggers arousal after cueing

* Are associated with huge reinforcement opportunities

They are the opposite of off-switch behaviours and, combined in your training with off-switch behaviours, are a
powerful tool in manipulating arousal
levels and enhancing learning and performance. Examples of on-switch behaviours include:
* Left and right spins
* Jumping
* Barking
* Nose targets
* Leg weaving
* Circling and wrapping poles
Remember, what may be an on-switch
for one dog may be an off-switch for
another dog, and vice versa. So watch
your dog for signs of arousal post-behaviour! Training on- and off-switch
behaviours from scratch gives us more
control over the outcome by developing the mindset we want the behaviour
to produce prior to training the behaviour, but every trick your dog already
knows will represent either an onswitch or an off-switch to some extent.
Go play around with them in your training and let me know what behaviours
work for your dog! D

Tom's knowledge spans many canine sports and he consults internationally. With a degree in clinical behavior and a veterinary background, Tom's passion is in
innovating dog training methods and conducting scientific research projects. He is one of the few dog training and behavior experts who maintains a clinical
caseload and an academic research stream, and does training seminars. Based in the U.K., Tom also develops instructors, dog owners, and dog-sport competitors
through his online training academy at www.absolute-dogs.com. To get in touch and share your questions, thoughts, and dog training struggles please visit:
www.facebook/com/absolutedogs.
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Clean Run - September 2015

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