Category: Advanced Stuff ¤ Author: Shirley Chong ¤ Title: Targeting with a Laser Pointer ¤ Carilee Cole (thank you for using your last name ) asked about using a laser pointer as a target for go-outs. I cover this in EXCRUCIATING detail in my workbook. In brief, the sequence is this: teach the dog to touch an object with their nose or paw; give it a temporary cue--the object I usually use is a fuzzy dog toy (for reasons that will become clear shortly) chain on touching the object with the target stick as a cue; I touch the object briefly with my target stick, then pull it up and away, then send the dog teach the dog to touch another object (another fuzzy dog toy) chain on touching THAT object with the target stick as a cue put out both objects and have dog choose between them by touching with the target stick At this point, you can go one of (at least) two ways: you could generalize the touch with the target stick to many different objects or you can jump straight to introducing the laser pointer (I'm impatient, I go for the pointer ) Chain on the laser pointer by lighting the object briefly with the laser pointer, then touching it with the target stick--let anticipation be your friend Gradually move the dog further away from the target Now, the reason I like fuzzy dog toys is because my dogs like to touch them AND they diffuse the laser spot nicely into this huge, softly glowing spot about four or five inches across (depending on the type of fuzz on the toy). If I were working with a dog who absolutely loves to kill fuzzies, rather than try to get through to their kill-crazed brain, I'd use different objects (Gummathingies also light up nicely). Then I transition to shining the light on shag carpeting, which diffuses the spot a bit, then I transition to smooth surfaces. I don't shine the dot steadily on the target because the dog's head will eventually break the beam as they move towards it--why fight physics? Why not teach the dog from the very first instant that the dot is on the target for a few brief seconds only? Once I have slowly transitioned the beam upwards to the dog's eye height, I give the direction straight ahead of us a name (a useful one like "go out!" ). Then we slowly move backwards, so that the dog is going out further and further. I do not, BTW, send to the same spot more than twice--the first go-out is the difficult one, the second one is so that the dog doesn't start thinking that only one go- out to the same place is correct (ie, "I should pick a different target for the second go-out in a row!"). I light the go-out target for briefer and briefer periods. I started out with about five seconds (which is a long time--try counting it out in your head) AFTER I see the dog has focused on the target. Then I transition to shorter and shorter periods. And then I stop waiting for the dog to spot the target, figure out how long that it, then transition down from there. My dogs are my service dogs as well (I don't go out in public with them that way, though...) and use the laser pointer to indicate which object I want them to retrieve. They both do an AKC directed retrieve as well, but I find I can only distinguish objects a minimum of five feet apart with my hand signal (which I think is my imprecise hand signal, rather than their abilities). I am a messy housekeeper! There are too many things in one five foot span of the house to be retrievable--so I can just point it out with my handy-dandy laser pointer. The drawback to the laser pointer is that it isn't very visible in broad daylight. I have worked outside after dark with it and during dusk successfully. With the go-outs, what I'm aiming for in the end is "pick a target directly ahead of us and run towards it." So I can do this in multiple indoor locations, outdoors in low light situations and get it generalized successfully that way. Besides, IF I ever trial again (which is doubtful, considering how much I really don't enjoy it), I really don't like showing outside. There are bugs, I get sunburnt and hot, it might rain... As far as the safety of the laser is concerned, Bob Bailey has been using them for many years, starting out with a humongously expensive one (really! over $100K used!) which really would hurt you IF you looked at it directly. He said that the little handheld ones aren't good to look at directly (somehow the coherent beam bounces around inside the eye and makes it look like fireworks inside your eyeball) but a glancing exposure most likely could not injure the eyes. And, with the way I teach the laser pointer, the dog NEVER has a chance to look into the laser pointer--the dog is always looking AWAY from the pointer, scanning for the dot. M. Shirley Chong The Well Mannered Dog Iowa City Iowa tzjd72a@prodigy.com or eithne@avalon.net