Week 1:
Strategic Reinforcement vs Location Specific Markers
Come get the reward from my hand (food or tug toy)
Purpose:
- To build more value to being close to the handler (recalls)
- To place the dog exactly where the dog needs to be to do another repetition or the next behavior in the chain (luring the dog around to face the cone)
- To help the dog on the path towards the next behavior in successive approximation (placing the reward above a mat)
- To encourage motion
- To encourage enthusiasm
- To work on how the dog moves into a particular position
When wouldn’t we want to use this reward location?
- When we want the dog to remain at a distance or remain in position
Heeling specific reward placement for food and tug
Week 2:
Remain in position (food or toy)
Purpose:
- To build more duration (chin rest)
- To build more thoughtfulness (rewarding in position for agility contacts)
- To encourage the dog to remain in position (stand stay)
- To build value to that location, position or behavior (rewarding on a platform)
- To build value to a distance behavior (rewarding with the dog’s feet on a paw target)
- To prevent the behavior of drifting towards an undesired behavior (stays with motionless feet)
When wouldn’t we want to use this reward location?
When we want to encourage motion
Get it from the floor behind you (food or toy)
Purpose:
-
- For distance, duration and out of motion behaviors
- To build more enthusiasm
- To prevent forward motion
- To build value to where the reward is (send dog back to container of treats or toy for position changes at a distance)
- To add complexity to a fluent behavior (heeling past a toy or treat on the floor)
- To prevent an undesired behavior (forging while heeling)
- To reduce the number of rewards and work towards the ring picture (catch up heeling)
- Can be used to build a reinforcement event
When wouldn’t we want to use this reward location?
- When we want to build more focus on the handler or when we want the dog to remain in position
Switching between come get it from my hand, remain in position and get it from a bowl
Week 3-
Get it from the floor (food or toy)
Purpose:
- To assess the dog’s commitment to a behavior
- To build more enthusiasm
- To practice distance behaviors
- To build value to where the reward is (send dog to container of treats or toy for distance work)
- To practice having the rewards off of the handler’s body (sequencing exercises for agility)
- To add complexity to a fluent behavior (heeling past a toy or treat on the floor)
- To build value to being far away from the handler (go on for agility)
- To encourage forward motion
- To reduce the number of rewards and work towards the ring picture
- Can be used to build a reinforcement event
Get it from a bowl (food or toy on the ground)
Purpose:
- To assess the dog’s commitment to a behavior
- To build value to where the reward is (send dog to container of treats or toy for distance work)
- To practice having the rewards off of the handler’s body (sequencing exercises for agility)
- To add complexity to a fluent behavior (heeling past a toy or treat on the floor)
- To build value to being far away from the handler (go on for agility)
- To prevent an undesired behavior (eat this food instead of lunging at the barking dog)
- To encourage forward motion
- To reduce the number of rewards and work towards the ring picture
- To encourage enthusiasm
- Can be used to build a reinforcement event
Heeling specific reward placement for food and tug
Switching between come get it from my hand, remain in position, get it from a bowl, get it from floor in front and behind
Week 4-
Reward in the right hand for heeling
Purpose:
- To prevent the dog from heeling with their rear wide
- To prevent the dog from forging while heeling
- To ensure that the trial picture looks similar to the practice picture
Heeling specific reward placement for food and tug
Scatter
Purpose:
- Soothing to the dog
- Activates the seeking system
- Great management technique to prevent the dog from practicing undesired behaviors (lunging and barking at dogs or squirrels)
- Calm the dog down in a new environment
- Give the dog something to do when there is a distraction passing to build an appropriate behavior
Switching between come get it from my hand, remain in position, get it from a bowl, get it from floor in front and behind, heeling specific reward locations, scatter
Week 5-
The reward is off of your body
Purpose:
- To practice having the rewards off of the handler’s body
- To reduce the frequency of rewards
- To work towards the ring picture
Heeling specific reward placement for food and tug
Training in Flow
Purpose:
- Allows you to see if there are gaps between earning reinforcement and the next repetition
- Allows you to see if the behavior reduces in accuracy or enthusiasm with predictable, tiny increases in environmental distractions
- Placing food away from the retrieve object when working on holds
- Delivering food while dog is in a stand after completing a roll over
Switching between come get it from my hand, remain in position, get it from a bowl, get it from floor in front and behind, heeling specific reward locations, scatter, remote reinforcement
Week 6-
Reinforcement Events
Purpose:
- Allows you to create a reinforcement history that can create a strong habit of responding to a cue even in the face of an instinctual non-response to the cue (come when called away from critters)
- Allows you to create a reinforcement history for a duration behavior with a longer reinforcement event
- Really beneficial for behavior chains
Heeling specific reward placement for food and tug
Switching between come get it from my hand, remain in position, get it from a bowl, get it from floor in front and behind, heeling specific reward locations, scatter, remote reinforcement, reinforcement events