Training Tuesday: Jekyll and Hyde Contacts

Why some dogs have better contacts in training than in trials, and how to fix that.

This podcast is shared with permission from Bad Dog Agility.

In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban have a detailed discussion on why some dogs have better contacts in training than in trials, and how you can fix that.

You will learn:

• Common mistakes made when trainers try to fix contact issues.
• How to reward your dog for good contacts at a trial without taking food into the ring.
• Why and how to leave the ring with your dog for a contact error.
• Why you should leave the training field with your dog for a contact error.
• How to properly reward your dog in training during contact work.

Listen to the podcast:

Excerpt from the podcast:

"We got an email from a VIP member and recently, and he says that basically my dog does pretty well in class but tends to fly off in trial settings. And, oh my goodness, that sounds like everyone I know in dog agility. So Jennifer, when a student comes to you and they have this presenting problem what are the first things you like to do?"

"Well, on a very broad sense... The first thing I like to do is see is the handler recreating and training situations that are going to be very similar to trialing. So that can be things like specific handling maneuvers. I think in training, people like to run pass and do all these fancy moves because they know that they can fix it if the dog comes off or they trust it. But then they get into a trial situation and they hang back. They slow down as the dog comes to the contest. So they're doing very different things with their body. Maybe even their presentation as they go out, they have one of those treat bags hanging around their waists. And it's filled with treats and toys. A lot of people that I see will do constant reinforcement of the contact, even if the dog is five or six or seven years old. The dog comes into the two on two off and they mark and run in with food. And then as soon as they get into the trial situation they don't have that food, they don't have that reinforcement, and it's an immediate cue to the dog. So I think what we've got to look at is what reason does the dog have to do a two on two off in training? What is the reinforcement for the correct performance or what is the consequence?"

Bad Dog Agility provides high-quality agility training online and hosts the Bad Dog Agility Podcast, which has over 1.5 million downloads. For free help with your training problems, visit https://baddogagility.com/.