Category: Performance Events ¤
  Author: Phyllis Dorrough ¤
   Title: Article Indication ¤

Article Indication (AWAY from the track)

This is how I teach my dogs.  I know there are other ways, but  
this is what has worked for me.  I teach my dogs to down at the  
article for several reasons.  1) Even I can't fail to notice my  
dog has fallen down.  2) If he is only half-hearted about his  
indication, he'll probably at least sit, which is better than just  
nodding at the article as he streaks by it.  3) Picking up the  
article means he moves it from where it was found.  How can I  
restart him ON THE TRACK if it isn't on the track when I ge it? 
4) It encourages the dog to take his time at the article, take a  
break, get water, etc., as needed.  I want him to stay at that  
article until I have picked it up and told him to go find some more.

Although my dogs are shaped to learn down, I do teach them that a  
finger between the withers is a cue to down.  It's not necessarily  
one they like, but there are times it's the easiest to use  
(sitting beside dog, etc.), and it works well here.

I start out with a clicker and treats, a glove, and a dog.  Pick a  
dog, any dog.  It can be a fun game to play with a dog that  
doesn't track, too.  Any article can be used, but I'll refer to a  
glove here.  You will actually need to do this with several types  
of articles to help the dog generalize the game.

I like to keep the dog on lead (I use a four foot lead) for this  
part. Keeps him from grabbing my glove and going off to chew the  
fingers off.  Plus, tracking is always on lead, so why not keep at  
least that part of the overall picture?

Keep it fun.  If he doesn't notice it, shake it about, get his  
attention, etc.  Then toss it.  Say nothing during this session,  
if necessary, borrow Shirley's duct tape!  Your final goal is for  
the dog to find an article "lost" in a field and indicate it

1.  Toss the glove on the floor.  C/T when the dog notices the  
glove hit the floor.  If he doesn't notice, wake up the dog.  Do  
it again.  And again.

2.  Now that the dog is fully aware that the glove is part of some  
new game you're playing, withhold the click until the dog goes to  
the glove.  If he doesn't move toward it, you may need to go back  
to rewarding awareness of the article.  C/T and repeat several  
times.  The goal is for the dog to be eagerly heading toward the  
glove even before it hits the floor. It helps to place the treat  
on the glove.  Magic gloves grow cookies!!

3.  Now, keeping duct tape securely over your mouth, toss the  
glove. When the dog races up to the glove, instead of clicking,  
place your finger between his shoulder blades and apply slight  
pressure.  If he's already been taught this cue, he should fold up  
right by the glove. C/T.  Again and again.  Fade the pressure cue  
as quickly as possible.  I generally find that after "helping" him  
out two - five times, I can simply step forward and wait. 
Remember that I do this with a four foot lead, so I never have to  
take more than one step to reach the dog.  I'll wait a few  
seconds, if he stays at the glove but doesn't down, I'll cue  
again.  If he leaves the glove, then I know I've gone too fast and  
I'll back up.  How long did he stay at the glove before he left? 
Toss the glove again, step forward and wait only about half that  
time before giving the cue.

If your treats are good enough, and delivered in his preferred  
manner, he should be soon hustling to down at the glove.

You can now remove the duct tape, but keep it handy in case you  
get too talky.  At this point, I will begin to require indication  
in the field ON THE TRACK.  But I'm on a short line, and stepping  
up to help the dog as he gets to the article.

Start giving multiple treats on occasion, but ONLY when he's down.  
We're building duration while we're at it.  At first he'll pop up  
and you'll have to help him down again.  After the last treat,  
give him a release cue.  At this point, we want him to realize he  
should stay there until released.

So now we have a dog who watches the glove fall, dashes to it and  
flops down to await his treat, right?

But, you say, the glove doesn't fall in front of the dog on a  
track! Good point.  Now we start adding the "find it" part.

4.  Toss the glove yet again.  This time, as he starts toward it,  
give him a verbal cue that will eventually mean "there's an  
article somewhere around here, I'd like you to find it for me."  I  
tell the dog "where is it?"  On the track, when I see the body  
posture shift from "tracking" to "there's an article's scent pool  
around here somewhere" I'll ask "Where is it?"  I feel it tells  
the dog that I'm aware of what he's telling me, and it reminds him  
that I want him to give me the desired indication when he finds it.

He probably won't notice the cue the first few times, but the  
words will begin to sink in.  After a few of these, distract the  
dog and drop the glove where he cannot see it fall (perhaps behind  
you).  Step out of the way and cue him to find it "Where is it?". 
If he doesn't alert on it immediately, you may find it useful to  
nudge it with your foot.  Then go back to cue/toss a few times and  
try again.

KEEP IN MIND that this is NOT tracking at this point.  This is  
article indication.  When you get out on the track, you'll have a  
cue you can use to tell him what to do when he finds it.

5.  Using a longer line, I build distance slowly.  This is where  
knowing your dog really comes in handy.  My requirements for  
indication are simple:  lie down near enough to the glove that you  
can reach it with your nose without getting up.  Treats go on the  
glove at this stage. Make it worthwhile for the dog to be close  
enough to reach it!

6.  Play this little game a few times before you go out in the  
tracking fields each tim for a while.  I got the dog out of the  
car, pottied him, etc., and then played the article game for a few  
minutes while waiting for the track to age.  It seems to put the  
dog into the right frame of mind -- he knows what game we're going  
to play, and it allows me to reinforce finds.  When you get in a  
test, you cannot reward the find with treats, so build up enough  
reward history that he'll forgive you for an occasional lapse....

I do not at any time, tell my dog to down at the article.  Never,  
never, never.  That's not my job.  My job is to reward the dog for  
indicating the article, not to do it for him.  I personally find  
the verbal cue to be much harder to fade.  I do not want a  
behavior chain of "find the article, stand there until Mom notices  
and tells me to lie down."  I've seen that one too often in other  
dogs.  My dogs know that Mom is an idiot who can't find an article  
in a field unless the dog points it out to me.  BUT, for some  
mysterious reason, when the dog is at the article, the lead will  
not pay out if he tries to pass it up.  Amazing, since I couldn't  
possibly know it's there, huh?

I will not knowingly allow a dog to pass an article.  I'll work my  
way up the lead to the dog as necessary to remind him he has a job  
to do. But I will NOT tell him to down.  I will ask "where is  
it?".  I will not chant it.

Treat delivery can be very important, especially for a game that  
can really really get boring quickly.  My T-O was adamant about  
how he liked his treats -- tossed.  Not hand delivered, tossed to  
him.  A large part of his reward for indicating the article was to  
be able to leap up and catch the cookie.  One day I forgot about  
that little detail.  We were working an article track (about 40  
articles, placed about 10 yards apart, working on indications, not  
tracking).  His indications started off really good, but got a bit  
worse as we progressed.  By around 30 something, he would have  
preferred not to bother.  As I stepped forward to hand him a treat  
I felt he had barely earned, it hit me.... the cookies were not  
reinforcing to him, catching the cookies was!  Stupid me!!  I  
tossed the cookie instead, and his eyes lit up.  The rest of his  
indications were happy and prompt.

Dillon was quick to figure indication out, Taylor also, but Taylor  
eventually got bored with it, so I later added extras -- he only  
got clicked if his right paw was on the glove.  Everyone else was  
clicked for downing near the glove.

Know your dog's learning style.  Is he very methodical, or does he  
piece things together?  How does he handle frustration?  Mother  
learns well when frustrated slightly.  When we were working a  
track last year, the person who laid the track jumped my case  
because the dog was getting frustrated.  But I knew my girl.  She  
had the pieces down, she just had to figure out the order they  
went in.  She followed the track, found the glove, turned and came  
back to me and downed at my feet.  Not quite good enough, we were  
about 10 feet from the article.  I asked "where is it?" she got up  
and showed me and came back and downed, wanting her cookie. I  
asked again.  She was getting a bit frustrated, but it was the  
kind of frustration she shows when she's just about got it figured  
out, so I let her work it out.  It didn't take but about three of  
these before she had it down pat:  find glove, down AT glove, Mom  
brings cookie.  Quanah, OTOH, does not handle frustration well. 
For him, I would move up the line as needed to put him in his  
comfort zone.  I extended the distance more slowly with him.

It really does go much quicker than it sounds in print.  But most  
things taught with the clicker do go more quickly than it sounds.

If your dog has trouble at any stage, back up a step, and then  
figure out a way to add a step between the one he knows and the  
one he can't figure out.