This issue’s tip is from trainer Lindsay Clark of LC’s Competitive Edge Dog Training in Reddick, Fla., and captain of AKC Agility League teams, LC’s Competitive Edge 1 & 2. Lindsay tells us how to use targeting to enhance your dog’s performance in agility and other sports.
One of the first things I teach my dogs when we begin our journey into almost any of the dog sports is to send to a target. I find it extremely useful in agility, rally and obedience. It is also a nice skill to have around the house as I can send a dog that is hovering underfoot to a spot away from me to gain some space and sanity!
In dog sports, it teaches the dog to go out on a line away from the handler and to understand that reinforcement doesn’t always come from the handler’s body. This helps to break the intense focus dogs sometimes develop on our hands or treat pouches – giving them confidence to work away from us.
Equipment needed:
- Ground target. This can be a shallow bowl or any flat object. I like to use a color that is different from the surface that I’m training on. Tupperware lids work great! You could also teach the dog to touch a nose or chin target. This would usually be an elevated object they can touch, or a flat object taped to a vertical surface.
- Treats! Use something that the dog can easily see on the target you are using. For light-colored targets, I would use a dark-colored treat and vice versa. Make sure it is something your dog wants to work for! You could place a favorite toy on the target as well, but treats allow you to do more frequent and quicker repetitions.
- Clicker – optional. You can use a marker word such as ‘Yes’ or ‘Good’ in place of the clicker.
Teaching the Skill:
Step 1:
Start out by letting the dog watch you place the target on the ground. At first you and the dog should stay only a step or so away from the target.
Step 2:
Hold the dog’s collar so that he is not able to get the treat as he watches you reach down and place the treat on the target. Alternatively, if your dog has a solid stay, you could ask them to sit and stay.
Step 3:
As soon as your dog looks at the target, let go of the collar and use your verbal cue such as ‘Target’ or ‘Get it.’ The word you use is not important- just be consistent. As the dog reaches the target, click or use your marker word like ‘Yes.’ It is important not to wait too long before releasing your dog to get the treat on the target for the first few repetitions. We want them to be focused ahead on the treat, not bored and looking around or back up at us.
Note: When you first start teaching this, you may need to step forward with your dog towards the target so that they know it is ok to get the treat. Over time, we want to be able to send our dog without any movement from our bodies.
Step 4:
Once your dog knows that your verbal cue means to leave you and go to the target, it’s time to have fun! Here are some ways to add difficulty and increase your dog’s understanding of this behavior. Make sure to only change one thing at time until your dog is successful before increasing the challenge again:
- Increase the distance between the dog and the target.
- Change your position so that you are not right next to your dog when you send to the target (useful for agility start line stays).
- Add distractions such as a toy on the ground nearby to test their commitment to the target.
- Start walking slowly in the opposite direction of the target as you ask your dog to go towards it. Your motion is the distraction. Increase your speed when the dog is successful with your slow movement.
- Use my suggestions below to apply to the dog sport you compete in.
Step 5:
Remove the target. You can wean the target from the finished behavior by either using a smaller and smaller target over time or by alternating using the target and removing the target so that you slowly increase the number of reps that the target is absent versus the number of times the target is present.
IMPORTANT: Even without the target, you still need to reward the dog on the line in the same place the target would sit. You can toss a treat or toy in that direction to be sure they continue to understand to drive away from you to seek reward.
Applying to Dog Sports:
Agility: Start easy by placing one low jump between your dog and the target. Stand near your dog to start. As your dog is successful, increase the number of obstacles between your dog and the target and increase your distance from the dog and the speed of your motion. You can see how important this skill becomes in getting an agility dog to be focused more on their line on the course rather than watching your hand. Say goodbye to dropped bars and refusals!
Rally: Master Signs 306, 307 and 308 require you to send your dog to a cone and have them turn and sit. Teach this sign by placing your target next to a rally cone, sending the dog, then asking them to sit. Easy!
Obedience: This skill is very useful in Utility go-outs and directed retrieves. When working this skill in obedience, I will often switch to an elevated nose target as I don’t always want the dog dropping their head before they turn and sit. I also use a target in teaching any obedience skill that requires distance, such as drop on recall, broad jump and command discrimination. The dog is happy to work away from me since they know they can earn a reward without having to be next to me.
Think of fun ways to add this skill into your training or into your everyday good behavior at home! You’ll start to see a confident dog that is happy to work at a distance, increasing speed and drive.