There is an important connection between your dog’s motivation in a training session and your own training mechanics. Good mechanical skills are critical to communicating clearly in any training interaction.
Take out all the soft skills (observing, making decisions, “reading” your dog, etc) and your training centers around the core motor skills of being able to effectively mark behavior and deliver reinforcement. Whether that reinforcer is a toy or food (or anything else), and whether that event marker is a click or verbal marker.
These elements must be consistent, accurate and precise.
In this episode we discuss:
- Why more information isn’t better
- The importance of a clear contrast between food available, and food not available
- Defining a clear neutral position for your hands to rest when you are not delivering a treat
- Setting yourself up for success by limiting your options and making food delivery easier
This podcast is supported by…..
AWESOME OBEDIENCE: A POSITIVE TRAINING PLAN FOR COMPETITION SUCCESS
Hannah built a new training program from the ground up. The results were awesome. Her dogs have competed successfully at the national level, earning High-in-Trial awards and advanced titles through several organizations. These strategies have transformed training for hundreds of teams, who also believe in the power of positive reinforcement and good training practices. In Awesome Obedience, Hannah lays out all the components to build the behaviors needed to go as far in obedience training as you want. You’ll learn:
How to create a happy, reliable partner using motivational games
Where to put your efforts (hint: not in Fronts and Finishes)
How the mechanics of exercises affect training
How to fine-tune your dog’s arousal level for maximum performance
How to train your dog to ignore ring distractions (like that judge following you around)
How to train the critical, unscored transition portion of your performance between exercises
Most of all, how to have a blast with your dog while you train
