I trained with a great group of ladies this morning, most of whom are working on their Utility titles with their dogs. Green handlers with greener dogs. :) We are all headed to a dog show this weekend, three trials over two days. Nerves are coming into play for some, as Utility is the most difficult class to pass.
One of the handlers was warming up her dog and I asked her what she wanted to do in the ring. She didn’t answer right away and I commented, “You are not doing a run through. Pick 2 or 3 exercises to work on.” Her response was “What?!? I can’t do a run through?” No....2 or 3 things, that’s it.
Let me explain my reasoning. Everyone knows that trials are where we “prove” our training. During our normal training sessions, we work hard on keeping our dogs happy and pushy. We work through issues. We proof our dogs to increase their understanding of what is expected. We polish all of the little pieces of each exercise. We reward a lot, with food, toys or play. But, when a trial is looming around the corner, some people change. They decide to make it more serious, more “ring-like”. They decide that they need to do every exercise, every time they walk into the ring. They don’t want to carry any cookies or toys on their body. All of a sudden, the dogs see a different person standing next to them. The fun, upbeat person has turned into a nervous, silent stranger. There is nothing more boring, for dog or handler, than doing run through after run through. It may make the handler feel better, but they are not helping their dog.
So, this morning, this particular team came into the ring and did gloves, articles and directed jumping. The dog did everything perfectly and both dog and handler left the ring happy and encouraged. Later, they came back in and did the signal and moving stand exercises. Again, nice work from the dog, and the handler left training a lot more encouraged (I think) about the upcoming weekend.
I try to train my dog with the “train like you show” mantra in my head. I’m not over the top, but I’m not dragging around the ring either. I’m liberal with food (not much toy drive for my current dog) and I’m even more liberal with praise. I work exercises fairly silently, but I acknowledge good effort and correct lack of effort. I break from exercises mid-stride often and rarely do an exercise from start to end. The way I train doesn’t really change, whether we have a trial next weekend or we don’t have a trial for two months. My dog knows all of the exercises, so right now, I consider all work to be maintenance or if I’m working on a new problem. Training dogs is the easy part....maintaining it is something else entirely. This is why a dog who is trained on one end of the spectrum (either a lot of compulsion or reward only) can go into a ring and earn titles, but yet they can not maintain it long term. Dogs are smart. They learn very quickly their handler can not correct them in the ring and they also learn that there aren’t going to be any cookies.
The week of a trial, I do very little, if any, proofing. I want the dog to get it right EVERY time. I don’t make things easier, I just don’t make them more difficult. Why would I risk damaging the dog’s confidence immediately before a show? Every time I train, I have cookies on me or in the ring. I don’t let the dog see me put the rewards around the ring or the cookies in my mouth, but they are always there. I will often break and run to one of the containers in the ring or I will let him chase a cookie that I take from my pocket or mouth. The number of days or times of day I train will not change. If I normally only train 2 or 3 days a week, I will not train every day the week of a trial.
Does this mean I never do a run through? No, but they are very rare. If a handler has not been in the ring very often, they should do run throughs once and awhile. But, this is more for them to understand the judge’s commands, proper protocol, and how to move from exercise to exercise, not just to get “ring time”. If your dog can work (not play, but work) for 5-8 minutes during training without any cookies, why does it matter what they are doing? It is irrelevant if they do every single Utility exercise, if they do a little bit of everything, or if they concentrate on a couple of different exercises.
And don’t forget, you are able to praise in the ring. Teach your dog that praise MEANS something. But, make sure the praise you give your dog is genuine. Show it in your voice, your face and your hands.
Remember, this is a sport we do for fun with our dogs. The training that we do in the months and years before a trial is A LOT more important than what we do the week of a trial. The attitude that we so carefully build and cultivate can be ruined by a well-intended handler who tries to cram in “just one more” training session the week of a show.
Train hard. Play harder.
Shannon
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