If, your dog’s contact performance started out strong and then gradually fell apart, how did that happen? If your dog has never competed, then you want the stopped contact performance to be maintained over the years.
Behaviors increase and become stronger when they are reinforced. Reinforcement happens by rewarding behaviors that cause those behaviors to repeat. Reinforcement can also happen when your dog performs another behavior. The subsequent behavior will reinforce the first behavior and make that first behavior stronger. If you make a habit of having your dog sequence agility obstacles while performing undesirable contact behaviors, that contact behavior will become stronger in that environment. Contact performance can also deteriorate when you handle contacts differently in a trial (louder demands, over helping). That’s why many dogs have different performances at the trials than in training. The different environment or the different handler becomes a strong cue for a different performance. There is also an emotional component in play, too. If there is stress or confusion, skills will disappear. It’s a complicated behavior chain that must be unraveled for individual dog and handler teams.
Because you can’t reward your dog’s contact performance in a trial, it’s important to expose your dog’s trained performance to many situations, environments, and distractions. In an environment that has lots of distractions (trials), your dog’s contact performance will get tested. If the training has also been tested and the handling and the release cue is clear to the dog, then those new situations shouldn't be an issue.
Dogs generally LOVE agility. Training the obstacles and sequences with positive reinforcement, creates a strong desire to interact with them. Moving through obstacle sequences becomes a highly valued reward for the dog. If you do not train or handle the dog consistently with clear criteria and cues, then your dog will become confused. That can cause issues with those previously solid stopped contacts.
Things can start to change in classes or trials when the you feel rushed, you disconnect from your dog (thinking about the sequence ahead), or you are unaware of signals or patterns that unintentionally become a release cue to your dog. Also, there can be some issues caused by stress or frustration which creates a negative conditioned emotional response in your dog when executing the contact. And when that happens, you no longer have a dog that can think clearly. Anything can happen!!
Here are some examples of handler behavior that can cause a good stopped contact behavior to deteriorate:
- Attempt to control the dog’s behavior
- Backing up or facing towards your dog while in the stopped position
- Repeating the stay cue while you move forward
- Physically attempting to show the dog where you want him to step or go
- Overly demanding/punitive or loud cue tone to stop or to stay (example, “YOU STAY!!!”)
- Being disconnected or distracted when your dog is in a stopped position
- Using unpredictable patterns or unintentionally pairing the verbal release cue with motion
- Showing disappointment and/or negative emotions in the dog’s performance
The best approach is to train your dog to perform an independent stopped end position behavior to your dog. This will help get you ahead or keep you ahead of your dog.
Instructor: Nancy Gagliardi Little
