Teaching a Reverse Send

Description

A reverse send is the term I am using to describe the behavior of a dog turning 180 degrees to be sent onwards towards another task. This is a part of the TEAM 3-7 test when the dog is sent 10 feet to a target (whereupon he most likely turns to face the handler for more information) and then is cued a reverse send to continue on his original path towards the jump & cone.

The goal of teaching this behavior is to further increase the dog's distance skills. More specifically, it is extremely useful when combined with other advanced exercises in order to condition the dog that he may be sent backwards and will not always be called towards the handler again. Exercises where I commonly use such a skill include:

• Go outs for Utility: once I interrupt the dog's final nose touch behavior to the gate by cuing a sit instead, I often follow this sit by asking the dog to continue to the stanchion to touch instead of directing the dog to take one of the jumps coming back towards me.
• Drop on recalls: Come-down-reverse send back to a cone (or reward) reduces some temptation towards traveling on their down if the dog expects to be sent backwards.
• Position changes: With an advanced dog who is practicing the signal exercise (or any position change exercise) I might send them back to a cone or another target after performing a position.
• ANY behavior where I want to reduce the dog's tendency to travel forward after performing a cue at a distance from me. A reverse send can be to a cone, target, retrieve item, or even just their reward placed behind them.

Step 1: Turn Around to Send to a Reward- Teaching a Signal

You've likely already started this first step without paying much attention to it. In TEAM exercise 2-10 you placed a reward on the ground behind your dog while you left him on a stay. When you returned to your dog's side you then cued your dog that he could release to the reward behind him!

Now you're going to repeat that exercise but this time after you place the reward behind your dog you are going to step in front of your dog to face him. Remember to make it obvious that the distraction is the reward- I usually put food in a zen bowl or on a target so that my dog doesn't have to wonder if a release is towards me or towards the distraction. A separate cue to tell the dog where reinforcement is coming from is even better! I use the cue "cookies" so my dog knows they can get food from a container on the ground.

This hopefully will be incredibly easy for your dog to do, you can start adding a hand signal right away. This new signal will tell your dog to flip 180 degrees and head in that direction towards another task- in this case, their task is simply eating the reward. Keep in mind that your hand signal should look different than your signals. If a raised right hand means down to your dog than consider using your other hand or using a lower signal more like bowling your dog in that direction.

Here is Yummy's first session in learning to flip to a reward behind her.  I am using her "cookies" reward marker cue at this stage.

When your dog is pretty happy about turning around to get his reward you can start adding distance.

1. distance between you and the dog
2. distance between the dog and the reward behind him.

Don't increase both distances at once!

Step 2: Send Back Towards a Target

At this step I exchange out the obvious reward for another target to send the dog to. This should be your dog's favorite target- a perch, platform, mat, or even a cone. In the TEAM 3 test they will be sending back to a cone, but starting with a foot target is often easier.

You can want to add a verbal cue at this stage that supports your hand signal and tells the dog specifically what task to do or just generally tells the dog to run in that direction until they hit the obvious/implied task in their path. I have chosen to use a cue "switch" that tells the dog to turn away from me and continue in that direction.

If you need to step in towards your dog to send them that is ok to start with! Gradually work on standing completely still as you give your signal. If you're having problems, stay very close to the target!

Here is a video of Lance who knows this skill well, but I am demonstrating using my arm signal in a very obvious manner to turn him backwards. Lance actually goes pretty wide to his target because my arm flips him out so far!:

Build up your distance a foot at a time until you reach 10+ feet. Remember, you need to work on

1. Distance between you and the dog
2. Distance between the dog and the target behind them.

Step 3: Target to Target

When you have some distance on your reverse send you can start to add in a second target that your dog is standing on at the start before being flipped away. It is surprisingly hard for a dog to leave 1 target and go to another! Many are reluctant to leave the target they are standing on!

Start directly in front of your dog with his feet on your first target with a second target located just a few feet behind him.

You may need to break it down even further by having your dog start on a target and then be directed back to a food bowl/toy placed behind them.

Here is Vaughn's lesson on being sent to a target behind him. He is NOT ready for this step as Vaughn is not fluent with being sent back to a single target, let alone leaving the one he is standing on. But Vaughn nicely volunteered to get video of a dog in the learning stages:

If your dog is struggling you can also try briefly going to the side of the targets so that it is a similar picture to the directed cone/target sends you have been practicing.  Here is a picture showing the handler starting closer to the 2nd target, then in front of the dog, and finally working their way closer to being in front of the dog (yes he's totally doing a handstand in the last one, talented!).

Here is me standing to the side with Lance (the middle step above) and then going in front:

Distance needs to be built just like in the previous steps.  Distance from the dog to the 2nd target, and then the distance of you to the dog. 

Switching a Target for a Cone

Sending your dog to a cone behind them instead of another target can be done at any time.  The cone slightly complicates things as your dog may not know which side to send around.  Generally, if you use your right arm as a signal then the dog will likely turn counter clockwise and continue around the cone counter clockwise.  If you use your left arm the dog will likely turn to their right and go clockwise around the cone.

However unless you plan on using a reverse send for a different sport (gun dog work) the direction the dog turns from you and turns around the cone doesn't matter.  I let my dogs choose which way is comfortable.

 Here is Zumi working on this skill of doing a reverse send from a target to her "cone." You will see that at 53sec she vocalizes with the added distance.  Since she hasn't been doign that before, I take it as a sign to make things easier for her.  I give her several cookies on the ground to help calm her and then move the target in closer so that I can still be further away but she doesn't have both distances to deal with: