Clean Run - October 2019 - 33

Beginning Sequencing with Wing Wraps
By Jo Sermon

There are a couple of points to bear in
mind. Firstly, wrapping wings tightly
places a lot of strain on the delicate
ligaments and tendons of a young
dog. My foundation for this training
is wrapping large barrels, but even
then, I wait until the pup has stopped
growing before I start. Please be careful how much work of this nature you
do with a youngster; there are plenty
of other things that need work besides
wing wraps, no matter how fashionable they are.

*

Secondly, it's a good idea to make a
candid assessment of your dog. If you
have a thick-set dog, it's often better to
allow a wider turn as they will be able
to maintain momentum. Spend a little
time working turns around one jump
and assess a reasonable goal for your
dog. Remember that the turn a dog can
do from a standstill will be very hard for
him to replicate when he's approaching
at speed. It's also well to remember that
unless your dog can accelerate from a
standstill, there is always a tradeoff between a shorter distance traveled and
the amount of speed that's lost achieving that shorter path.
Reminders
*

Remember the associations that
you are building with training. If
you are not confident that your
dog can wrap a wing wrap, go

October 19 | Clean Run

with the final obstacle and reward
it five times. Then start adding the
obstacles before it, one at a time.
Dogs who lack confidence or are
nervous often enjoy backchaining,
as they go toward an already wellrewarded behavior. It's a nice way
of lengthening your sequences if
you are having problems.

back and do more one-jump work.
We don't want to build a history
of disappointment; you need to
make this a fun and exciting part
of training. Training should always
be enjoyable and exciting for you
and your dog.

This month we look at tight turns
around the wing or standard of the
jump-wing wraps.

*

Have a plan in place for when it
inevitably goes wrong. I don't train
with correction, so if my dog fluffs
a cue, I'll make a note of where I
was and how fast we were moving,
then I reset at the beginning of the
sequence. At the time he makes the
mistake, I don't comment, but I also
don't cue the next obstacle. With
a low-drive dog, I would call him
in for a hand touch for a low-value
reward (half a Cheerio) before setting him up at the beginning again.
I would also make sure that success
means a real party with high-value
rewards given multiple times or
a focused game appropriate to
the task. With a young dog, the
problem might be a lack of focus
or a distraction, or it might be the
speed in or my distance from him.
Or it could be a simple mistake on
his part. They are dogs, not robots
after all! If he makes the same
mistake again, I will backchain the
sequence, starting with the turn
and gradually adding obstacles
back in, each time rewarding the
completed turn.
If you struggle with a particular
sequence, try backchaining it. Start

*

Don't forget, if you always work
sequences that are five to seven
obstacles long, your dog will come
to expect reward after five or
seven obstacles; moreover, there's
a good chance that he will make
the association in the ring that a
lack of reward means he's done
something wrong-after all, when
we train we withhold reward after
mistakes. Think about the dogs
that speed up across the last five
obstacles, but who are slow and
worried at the start of the course.
Aim to be able to do at least a
couple of sequences that are 20
obstacles long. They don't have to
be complicated, as this is work on
duration-20 obstacles rewarded
on completion.

the Sequences
On the course plans, you'll sometimes
see a green circle labeled "R," for reinforcement. This is where I recommend
that you reward. It's the area in which I
would leave a dead (planted) toy, or a
food toy, or a remote food dispenser. If
your dog hasn't yet learnt how to work

33
Clean Run - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2019
