Category: Performance Events ¤
  Author: Helix Fairweather ¤
   Title: Weave Poles - Correct Entry ¤

I learned a very important lesson (finally!). On working on the weave
entry, I had been moving forward towards the poles with Brady and giving
the 'weave' cue. After all, correct entry involves moving towards the
poles right? She knew the cue 'weave' so I felt I could use it. And, of
course, you experts can see where this is going right? 'weave' = walk
through the poles. 'But, M-OM, I *did* that!! You said walk through the
poles, You never said anything about where to start!!'

What I learned has two points: I named 'weave' before it was the behaviour
I wanted. When we say dont' put a cue to it until it is the behavior you
want, this is what we mean - don't put a cue to it until it is THE
behavior. Some folks are interpreting that to mean don't put a cue to it
until it is the perfect version of THE behavior. While that might be true
(don't know myself), please pay attention that it is THE behavior.

Point to is about shaping: Lana Mitchell says in her book _The Clicked
Retrieve_ that you must shape the behavior of taking the db. Even if your
dog already takes it, you MUST go through the steps of C/T for looking,
C/T for moving towards, C/T for moving closer, etc etc. Now I see the REAL
application of that.

Last night I set up three poles, with D=Dog, H=Helix, o=poles.

			o   o   o

			H  D

Then I proceeded to just STAND THERE!! Notice that Brady isn't even on the
right side of me to enter the poles in a flowing 'we're moving towards
them kind of way' (very new approach for me, so to speak). Brady thinks
any time I don't do any thing that she is supposed to target something
(and WHY do you think that is, old dummy Mom? Because she learned to
target through S-H-A-P-I-N-G - Dawg I'm slow sometimes!!) So she went over
and touched a pole with her nose. "wrong" She touched another pole,
'wrong'. You know, I have to say I really, really love the use of 'wrong'
- for Brady, it gives soooooo much information WHEN USED CORRECTLY.

Now the fun began. It took two 'wrongs' for her to realize it wasn't a
targetting thing. Then she went around a pole, correct entry, C/T. Then
she went in the correct opening but around the number one pole, 'wrong'.
From then on she was in and out many ways, trying to figure out what was
right, what was wrong. She was IN THE GAME! and thankfully for poor Brady,
her mom was finally on the right page.

A la Shirley, I moved my position around to various places. I then cued
her to 'get out' to the other side and she did more variations on entry.


				D
			o   o   o

				H

She was more solid by that time and had many correct entries from the
'off-heel' side. What fun!

I can really see the hang up I had. Naming the behavior too soon, was
certainly part of it. The behavior 'weave' was a shaped behavior. We've
been working on this entry, off and on, for quite a while (I should know
that things shouldn't be this difficult, that something is  amiss when
they are). When I cued 'weave' Brady, bless her heart, did what was
strongly ingrained, she did a 'weave'. My hand motion usually told her
where to start - but only usually. When I tried to remove it, she started
anywhere, and why not? 'Mom said 'weave' and so I shall.' Of course, I
kept saying 'wrong' when she took the wrong entry. 

Now, with my doing nothing, and Brady getting to choose something to do,
C/T or 'wrong' IS information to her. I'll have to choose a new cue for
doing the weave poles though - once it all comes together.


                      ***************************
Helix Fairweather
The Wild Women Beardies (CH Brady, CGC and CH Maggie, CGC)
helix@teleport.com     Turner, OR
Keeper Page - http://www.teleport.com/~helix/Keeper  
Clicker Page - http://www.phys.unm.edu/~helix/clicker.html