On-leash to off leash heeling - when & how?

Please throw away everything I've said previously... please...

I realize that I only have a hammer, therefore, everything looks like a nail.

You and your dog are unique, this will be your puzzle to solve!

A correction for wandering off, looking away? Run away and out of position - and have her work to catch up and get back in heel (reward that!)

If you are scoring high 80's on lead in the ring, then you are on the right path! do you know where your points are being lost? about turn? figure 8?
Those are the parts you can isolate and improve.
 
I like your words about NRM. I think people, me included, overuse them or use them inappropriately without understanding. I remember funny story Kathy Sdao was telling about teaching mammals/ dolphins/ at her early career. Initial idea was to use some underwater speaker to mark unwanted responses. So military gave them some huge heavy underwater speakers and they started working with dolphins sending sounds every time dolphin did something wrong. Not too long later, one of the dolphins came close to that speaker and hit it with such force that speaker flew in the air like a missile barely missing people standing there. Apparently dolphins HATE being wrong:lol:
 
Lol! 2GoodDogs, your tips made sense! I will mull on them and not throw them away! Small question tho, if you verbally reward the dog alot when training, and in the ring, you can't, would the dog see it as a punishment of sorts?

SheltieChe, yes, I don't want to find myself using a NRM more than I should, yet it's so easy to fall back on. Sometimes I want to tape my mouth closed!!
I did get SG's emails and will have to go look at them again!! Must have missed something. How did you go about training the triggers?

I have been working on making spinning and weaving around my legs really rewarding just so I could use that to reward her in a ring in between exercises. But that's not quite the same things as what you're suggesting right?
 
To wean off the constant verbal reinforcement I test and switch and my dog learns to trust my silence.

I train in three modes, "
  • WOW, where I am excited with my dog's attention and position, a little over the top but I'm looking for the tail wag and bright eyes"
  • Then there is the "Yes, that's it" where I am excitied to a little less degree and we do a few steps and I praise.
  • And finally, the "silent treatment" where I am silent.... However, even though I'm not saying my excited praise, I am feeling it, and it is oozing out my pores and into the air all around us... <very big grin> and I break into a praise and joy party when my dog is doing well.

There is a good book on this called "Building a Bridge: (I think that's the title, will have to look)

and the premise is that you test in the effectiveness of your training (1) with the results you get in (2) and test further in (3)

I spend most my time in 2, going to 1, and testing 3. When I can do a whole pattern in 3, I go back and do a 2nd pattern in 1. And so on, till your dog is bright and attentive and can't wait to play the heeling game with you.

It takes time, and if it just isn't you - or your personality - then you won't be able to fool your dog.

My poor obedience students, I tried to turn the dull boring people into cheerleaders and it just didn't work, so now I know that I do not have all the answers. :p

Just a student along the dusty dog obedience trail but don't encourage me, I am a natural born cheerleader.... energy and excitement changed my whole experience with my dogs. {God Bless you Sylvia Bishop!}
 
ok, about the triggers. Our life is built on them. You put your running shoes- doggie knows he is going out with you, you put your working shoes- doggie stays home. Open cabinet with doggie dishes- meal is coming. Lots of seemingly uninvolved things become precursor for doggie to "anticipate" fun/ good time/ meal is coming and as such builds an arousal. It is just plain ole classical condition, Pavlov's experiment with ring bell and food/ salivation...
You often build triggers you not even aware about.
http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2012/03/building-effective-triggers-into-your-dog-training/
If you watch that video in SG blog I started building that sucking air sound and whispering "code" phrases like "1-2-3" or "I am going to smoke ya". I am just not finishing the phrase completely and say something like 1-2- 2 and quarter etc:biggrin2:
I am not sure how much are you judged between exercises and what can you build into your obedience routine, here I think I can take a whooshy breath and have my dog jump high between doing exercises...
Now you have to find something your dog is really crazy about. Not just like but really really nuts. Like my dogs really like to " chase" kitty. Kitty in reality never in danger as she is rarely in the house to begin with/ her choice/ and she is very dog savvy but anyway. So I say my whooshy sound and tell them go find kitty- they really run with speed of light and will overturn furniture along the way...
Now in obedience when I make that whooshy sound they perk up just like Susan's dogs in the video... wait, are we going to have fun now? here? So arousal immediately up and as result beautiful attention to me... I only need it for 3 minutes at most in the ring, right?:lol:
Another thing I am working on is Che has series of trees he really crazy about. Like he is total nut when we walk on leash there, he will run me over and jump and bark like maniac on them. I used to be pretty embarrassed by it as normally he very loose leash trained etc but now I just put it into controlled behavior he has to sit and I will pull out that " 1-2- 2 1/4- etc 3" game and let him reward himself by jumping and carrying on...
Thus just like in Pavlov's experiment my 1-2-3 words are becoming precursor to huge payoff coming. I can not take a tree to my agility but I sure can take 1-2-3 and get my dog speed up like a missile:biggrin2:
 
Speaking in simple terms same way you would build in " ready... re-e-ea-dy" in your performance you can build any other triggers and yourself into reward. With regards to verbal in training vs quiet in the ring I think if you do not build in into your cues it should not present any problems. I am the biggest cheerleader of all times :biggrin2:
If one of your buddies has DVD by Kathy Sdao " I-cue" it is really fun stuff to listen and tons of info. She actually asked people to wear sunglasses during training so people do not accidentally give cues with eyes:rolleyes2:
 
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