Part 2 (iv) Maintaining Forward Focus

Objective

Maintain what we have trained so dog is always looking forward, regardless of obstacle in front (or not)

How?

Consistency. Now that we have trained our 2O2O position, we need to maintain this by using a reward (which is varied, and we will look at that in next post) which is always forward.

Total Time

‘Forever’ !

Discussion – Why is this so important?

One of the primary disadvantages of a stopped contact or 2O2O position, is that it must be ‘forever’ trained and maintained. Once we have taught the dog, there is the temptation, particularly in group sessions to pull the dog off from the side, reward from hand or just not reward at all. Collectively we will call this ‘losing our process and consistency’. Over time this will lead to handler focused dogs, lack of drive to contact position and worse, missed contacts. All of which will mean retraining / reworking our contact position. So what do we do?

In training one will be faced with one of two broad scenarios:

With obstacle in front of contact

This is a desired situation as we use the next obstacle as our focus. From the last article we described transferring the focus. Here is a process for using that obstacle:

1. Place the reward after the next obstacle – allowing for landing distance
2. Only release the dog when they are firmly looking forward at obstacle / reward
3. Give release command and lots of praise

Without obstacle in front of contact

Less desirable but a training fact, we will be faced with courses where there is nothing in front. The temptation here is to demonstrate how good your turns are at training and pull the dog sideways. This is counter training your forward focus. A good example is demonstrated in these images on the link below:

Click here to see example of keeping forward focus during course training

I broke this down into 2 distinct stages, (i) sending to reward (ii) setting up rest of course and starting again.

But what about turns in competition? Well that’s a discussing for future articles, but at this stage I will say for the young dog get the basics right, all the time. Secondly a well taught stop puts the handle in 100% control for alighting the contact.

Part 2C (iii) Fading the NT

Objective

Fade the NT by transferring to higher value reward

How?

When our dog is achieving high motivation NT we substitute the close target for a distance variation

Total Time

1 month

Discussion – Why NT, why fade it?

Why NT, why fade?

Jaidi demonstrating NT to forward reward

NT has been a very successful ‘final’ method of teaching a stop contact. One could argue that when achieving this stage, we have finished our foundation training (i.e. we have built our forever process).

Lets look at the advantages and disadvantages at arriving at this conclusion:

Advantages: 

•  Clear criteria
• Systematic process – definable targets, measurable results
•  Teaches independence

If you have followed the earlier posts to date, you can see that the NT has been used to take use the advantages of having a discreet objectives (i.e. systematic) with clear, measurable criteria to build independence.

 Jaidi demonstrates independent dogwalk

Disadvantages:

• Teaches down looking behaviour
• The NT becomes more important than speed or technique of the contact
• You can’t take a target in the ring

However, in addition to independence we want forward facing, a process we can use every training session and eventually something we blend into true ring behaviour.

Stages

Moving reward

At this stage we have our dog happily NT for reward placed at target level. Whether that is:

• A toy (for tugging) or
• Food (in either remote reward system or sealed Tupperware type container, which we open to give reward)

We are now going to gradually step by step over a few training sessions away from the contact. So to summarise, the target stay in reach for NT, the reward moves forward to end up some meters in front of the contact.

Jaidi demonstrates the changed position, notice his focus and body posture

 

Losing the target

You will now start to see the dogs attention move from looking down at the target to the forward reward. There will also be a less than ‘perfect’ set of NT taking place now as the dog moves from wanting to NT the target to get reward. It is worth remembering that the NT is a means to an end, and the long term goal is not the best NT but excellent contacts!

When the NT to target clearly becomes a step in the process that is inhibiting the overall contact behaviour (i.e. we are now insisting that the dog does the NT, but by losing this we would still have forward facing, reward motivated dog), take the target away, it has served its purpose.

Transferring focus

The next step is to keep extending the reward placement until we can place after next obstacle. The purpose is to build focus that reward comes after obstacle (or if there isn’t one there in that particular training sequence) some distance after the contact. Do not be tempted to pull the dog of side ways during training. It may feel good and be easier to make the turn, but you will not be training consistent forward focus behaviour.

Even in competition, particularly at early stages, if there are sharp turns after contacts don’t do them! Leave the dog in 2O2O, walk forward, praise you dog for looking and then release towards you. Remember, you pay your money to achieve your objectives on course. You don’t have to try and win every class.   

The video's below demonstrate the process in competition runs, either as quick release (extension cues) or as stopped training contacts (try and only release when forward facing)

 

Winning into G6

Today I am very happy, particularly in respect of what happened in December

Yesterday at our 3rd show at G5 we won the Agility which now makes JD a Grade 6 dog. This has come very early and I think the step between 5 & 6 is the biggest in UK Agility grading system.

A G5 dog generally shares courses with 3 & 4, so there tends to be straigther entries on to contacts and weaves and less turn / side changes for the jumps. 

Grade 6 however, tends to share with 7 so all the latest sequences can be found on these courses. Additionally, in my experience of running Matty in 6, is that as stand alone classes they seem to feature every trick and twist and are generally harder then Champ (7) individual classes. I don't know why this is? 

I am estimating that JD's first G6 class will feature going round the back on no.2 and pulling through to no.3. It always appears to me that is how G6 courses have to start!

This is why I think its such a level change. Although we train these elements, to date we have not really done them is serious competition. So for the next few months we will be competing on courses above our current ability. On the plus side is I now have a full summer season to practice, find out what we are good and not so good at, ready to formulate our autumn / winter training schedule for 2013!

Back to the competition, and here is the course plan:

Combined 4 - 5 Agility

 Unfortunately we didn't get a video of the round but here is one from an class earlier in the day. I was really pleased with our contacts and weave entries, allowing Jaidi to run through in extension up to point of being clear. As soon as we incur faults I cue a stop (2O2O). For next few weeks I will revert back to majority being stopped with occasional quick release (or for me not giving any stop command but cueing extension which means to keep moving forward.