Clean Run - October 2011 - 50

If you build it... they can run!

sitioning of the treat and the movement of the hand are key in getting a nice smooth down from a stand. It is very helpful to break this exercise down into smaller parts to teach. With the dog in a stand, show him a treat and hold it at nose height. Move the treat down and in toward the dog’s chest slightly so he has to look down toward his chest to follow it. Click and deliver the treat low. With each successful repetition move the treat farther in toward the dog’s chest and down toward the ﬂoor. If done correctly, the dog will start to lower his front legs toward the ground. Be sure to click this behavior!

Wait on a Mat By now we should have ﬁrmly established that the mat is an excellent place to be. We will work on duration on the mat this week. This exercise can be done with the dog in either a sit or a down position, but pick one to work on ﬁrst (to avoid confusion). Once that one is established, then work on the other. Have a clicker and a number of small, soft treats readily available. Put out the mat and wait for the dog to take his position on it. Start rapidly clicking and treating, leaving only a few seconds between each click. This rapid-fire technique will keep the dog in position. If the dog moves out of position, stop clicking and treating and just wait. Most dogs will quickly resume the position, and the rapid-ﬁre C/Ts can begin again. After about 10 C/Ts, verbally release the dog and step away. You may ﬁnd that you need to encourage him to move. Great! That means he has ﬁgured out that staying in position is better than being out of position. Repeat these rapid-fire C/T sessions about ﬁve times with short breaks (about 30 seconds) in between. Spins When the dog makes a tight circle in one direction or the other, it is a spin. It is good physical exercise since it involves stretching and using the muscles on either side of the spine. Most dogs seem to enjoy spins once they learn them. It is an exercise that seems to excite and energize them. A spin is most easily taught using a food lure. This is a very good exercise to help students understand the proper way to use and fade out a lure, as well as the proper way to introduce a verbal cue for a behavior. Pick one direction to work on ﬁrst. We always start with left. No speciﬁc reason, we just do. Left means the dog’s left, which is opposite our own because he is facing us. The hardest part for students is to keep “left” and “right” straight! Begin this exercise with the dog in a stand facing the trainer. Hold a treat at nose height and move it an inch or two to the side. When the dog turns his head to follow the lure click and give him the
Clean Run | October 11

First, place a food treat directly in front of your dog’s nose

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Then, push the treat toward your dog’s chest at a slight downward angle

The dog should follow the cookie and lower his body into a down position Many dogs end up with their front legs on the ground and their rear end still in the air (a bow). When this happens raise the treat about an inch or so up. Typically, this leads to the rear end dropping as the head goes up slightly. Click this as well!

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Clean Run - October 2011

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