Category: Puppy Stuff, Performance Events ¤ Author: Helix Fairweather ¤ Title: Lana Mitchell's 'Go Get It!' Game ¤ Last weekend was my private session with Lana Mitchell in which she taught me The Game. The following is my version of what I learned (although Lana has read through this and helped fix anything I had wrong). First off, there are several things that (seem to) happen at once. Be forewarned that this takes a bit of coordination. I'm pretty much of a klutz when I do something like this for the first time. I have to absorb the instructions, take it home, work it out for myself, *then* I can get it together to actually *do* it. So have heart! It will get easier. THE END RESULT Here is the end result of The Game: you want your dog to hear "Mark!", eagerly look out in front of him for what might happen, strain with excitement to get it while waiting for the release, run to get it when cued, grab it, turn (immediately) and run back to you to see what's next. APPLICATIONS This is foundation for go-outs, glove retrieve, db retrieve and the like. Dog sees something, is eager, waits for cue, does action, returns to you with joy. Speeds up recalls, reinforces fast and tight turn to return to trainer, beginning of front. SET UP Large hunks of treats for easy visibility. 6 ft. leash collar on dog (any) clicker helper (maybe yes, maybe no, depending on what you need to do next) clean surface for ease of visibility THE GAME Loop the leash in a couple of loops into your left hand. You want to be able to easily let the leash out as the dog runs ahead. Loop your fingers under the dog's collar, dog on your left, no particular position. Have the treats in your right hand. I use a Redi-Click (clicker with elastic loop) on a finger on my right hand. It is easier to have a helper click at first as there is so much going on. Lean forward, peering at the floor in front of you, say "Mark!" (yes, it means nothing to the dog at this point), toss the big hunk of treat, fairly close in front of you. Wait for the dog to see it and strain at his collar eagerly. Pause. Say 'get it!', release the dog's collar releasing the leash loops also. As soon as the dog hits the treat, praise him! Do this a few times to get the idea that there will be good stuff out in front of you. You can toss the treat farther out during these few sessions. [You may be wondering why bother with the leash on. Lana uses a leash for training to eliminate the possibility of going elsewhere in the environment for reinforcement. You are not using it for collar corrections. Your dog knows with a leash on, he only has so much room to move. This heightens your ability to keep The Game moving FAST and to keep ALL the reinforcements under your control.] Now we're going to add the turn and return to you. As soon as the dog's mouth is on the tossed treat, say 'Dog, Come!' (or whatever is your cue for your formal recall), for the very tiniest head turn in your direction (it is *very* helpful to have a helper do this initially), take a step or two backwards, move your right hand (with the second treat) to the center of your body, nose level. Dog gets this treat from center-front position. (We don't' need the sit in front at this time.) Feed at front position -- the level at which the dog's nose should be and at the same distance from the body as if he were sitting in front position -- this comes in handy when actually teaching fronts. It looks like this: Hold collar and leash "Mark!" Dog looks out in front Toss big treat Pause for strain on collar "Get It!" Release Dog grabs treat - "Dog, Come!" Dog turns head Step backward Treat is given from center-front position There's a lot of things happening at once which gets a bit confusing. Don't worry - it will all sort itself out! As you repeat this a few times, start watching for pitfalls. With Brady, Lana was able to see immediately that she was watching my right hand for the toss. We then switched to having Lana drop the food after I said "mark!". You'll need to be vigilant about watching your dog so that you are training what you intend to train - the response to "mark!" is to look out in front of you. You can also say "look" or any other cue. Any time your dog's attention wanders (wonders in the case of a Beardie), break off The Game (too bad! uh oh! oops!), step to the side, walk away, taking treats and clicker with you and The Game. You are also taking the dog with you since he's on leash - no other reinforcements available either! Set up again and resume The Game. RAISING CRITERIA No real raise in criteria...this is the game, that's all. One side benefit is for the really food motivated dog to learn to be called before eating food if that is an option the trainer chooses. Make the distance you toss farther (you'll have to go with the dog due to the length of the leash). Add distractions. Take it on the road. Call the dog to you just *before* he gets the treat from the floor. Toss the treat and never give the 'get it!' cue. Raise your body posture so that you are eventually standing when you give the "mark!" cue. Add your Utility hand signal for "Mark!" The food is always fed at front position. Side note -- the few steps backward is the most important part of the game in teaching motivation for the dog to come when called, look up when called, and come in straight when called. *************************** Helix Fairweather The Wild Women Beardies (CH Brady, CGC and CH Maggie, CGC) Turner, OR ADDENDUM from Lana: You asked me if there was any place where you would raise criteria in this game...I said no, but there is. When the dog is performing all the steps as you have outlined them, I start him in giving me an automatic wait behavior. I hold the collar while he is pulling and let go and send him only when he stops pulling. So, the very behavior I have built up, the pull, to increase the dog's drive to get to the cookie, I am now using as a sort of self-correcter in that when he does it he can't get to the food. Using the pulling behavior in two ways affords me #1 to get drive and #2 to get self-control. -- Lana Mitchell CLICK! for Success