Category: Conformation ¤ Author: Shirley Chong ¤ Title: Freestacking for The Breed Ring ¤ Laurie Telfair is teaching the Terrible Twosome, oooops, I mean Mike and Faith to free stack. Laurie, first of all, get away from waving your primary reinforcer around! You are on a one way trip to frustration when the dog knows what you have to offer. Cultivate a little mystery--a mystique. Be amazing. Be fascinating. Take the time (2-3 sessions) to teach them to target and follow your finger. Start out by having them bump your finger with a nose. Every time you get a nose bump, click/treat, then move the finger to a slightly different location (right, left, up, down). When they are willing to take a couple steps to touch your finger, then shift to clicking for a LOOK AND WEIGHT SHIFT. You can incorporate a little cue as to when they've moved enough by moving the finger a bit towards them in an upwards flick and then clicking--this is just a simple backchain (original cue for end of behaviour was the click--so now you're chaining on a finger flick). Now, use your magic finger to shift their weight backwards and a bit to the judge's side--the first leg I'd get under control is the extended leg. It really, really helps to do this in front of a mirror or plate glass window--or find someone who has good timing and a good eye to handle the clicker. Work until you can get that leg to move just by the way you move your magic finger. Don't worry about getting the correct position first, just work on getting that leg to move. Once you've got that leg moving, then work on moving it back. Then abandon that leg (for now ). Shift to the outside leg, the one away from the judge. Use your magic finger to get that leg moving. Don't worry where it moves right now, the first thing you want is control over that leg. When you can move it at will, then concentrate on moving it forward (to support the dog). Okay, you've got that, now abandon it. Start working on the judge's side front leg. Again, use your magic finger to move that leg around until you can move it at will--THEN concentrate on moving it into position. Abandon that leg. Move the other front leg until you have control of it. Abandon that leg! (see a pattern here? ) Now, go back to the back legs. Refresh your control of the extended leg and then add in the other leg. One very common mistake handlers make is striving for perfection and thus, withholding the click until they see perfection. Very discouraging for the dog! When you are setting up to get the rear in place, click when your dog shifts in the correct direction--don't wait for perfection, don't ask for three movements, click after the first move to set up correctly. If the extended leg is forward and then he moves it an inch back--CLICK! The actual position doesn't really matter, what you really want him to learn is what direction to fix his feet. Over time, you will get more and more perfection--if you haven't been overly perfectionistic to begin with and totally discouraged them from trying. Work until you have control of both hind feet. Then abandon them and get control of both front feet. This is a dance--you are doing just as much learning as they are. You move your magic finger a certain way and you learn how the dog reacts. The dog moves a foot in a certain way--and YOU react. When you have control of both front feet, then abandon them. Start teaching the weight shift forward. Use your magic finger to shift the dog ever-so-slightly forward and click BEFORE any feet move. Or you can use the leash and collar to apply a very gentle pressure (use a non-slip collar) to get the push-back reflex to click. While you are doing all of the above, you can (in a different session) work on expression. Movements of your magic finger parallel to the ground and closer/further from the dog will move the legs. Movements of the magic finger perpendicular to the ground are used to set the dog's head. Finally... put it all together. Remember, especially at first, click for movements towards perfection--don't wait for perfection itself. Using your finger as the target to focus on will tend to naturally extend the amount of time they stay--they'll be watching and waiting to see if you move it. Very, very gradually work up the duration. My sense is that you've been asking for way too much, way too soon. It took me about three weeks to teach Bidge to free-stack and he was over two years old at the time, which meant he had lots of concentration. Build up your reinforcement history by clicking for tiny increments of movement in the correct direction. I wouldn't even be going for complete stacks at this point--just movements of particular feet. The essential oils do seem expensive--it looks like so little oil for such a high price. But they're very concentrated and go a long way. Both rosemary and lavendar are good for coat and skin (and may have flea repellent properties, tho' I wouldn't bet on that alone). M. Shirley Chong The Well Mannered Dog