Category: Performance Events ¤
  Author: Lana Mitchell ¤
   Title: Getting Those Perfect Sits! ¤

Yvonne wrote:

>>...if Simon sits and he sits crooked the instructor says to put him
straight or to use my hand to guide him before he sits. She said it doesn't
help to let him make the mistake and it will make it harder to correct.  My
understanding is that the behaviour will be shaped to give straight sits as
eventually those will be the only ones I reward. Am I correct or should I
be preventing the mistakes from happening.>>

Yvonne,

Your post didn't say, but I'm assuming your dog has sat on one hip or with
rear or front feet splayed. I have similar though different methods for
teaching a correct sit and a straight sit.In my opinion you are correct in
thinking it is better to prevent the mistake rather than trying to undo it
after it has occurred. 

It is my opinion that allowing the dog to sit crooked then adjusting his
position by hand does nothing to "teach" the dog the difference between
crooked and straight sits. Ahem...it will, of course work eventually, but
in a round-about way; being re-adjusted by a hand or foot, regardless of
how gently it is done, it is not cannot a welcomed event for the dog.

I've described below my own "cure" for the incorrect sit rather than the
crooked sit (I posted a lengthy one the other day about crooked sits at
heel position).

With all dogs that I take into training is to first teach an abort
word...it means no treat for you, that wasn't what I wanted, let's do it
again. Unlike a typical, unemotional *wrong*, it is a happy, up, get the
dog moving again word and behavior that "ups" the dog and resets everything
for him. I use this when the dog is first learning to sit a correct sit,
not at heel or front position, but the basic correct sit.

At first, of course, I R+ every sit he gives me and continue this until the
behavior is almost ready to be put on cue then stimulus control. As the dog
is sitting (not after), I assess the sit -- a perfect sit from a stand is
one in which the dog leaves his front feet stationary and brings his
hindquarters up under his body, weight evenly distributed between haunches
and front feet, all four feet tucked well under the body and evenly spaced
-- for quality and I totally disregard speed.

If it is not closer to perfect that the level previously attained by the
dog, I jump or quickly step away, throw up my hands as I say something like
"Icky" or "Abort" in a happy but loud voice, turn my back and reposition
myself to restart the dog.

The message to the dog is that he was wrong, no cookie is coming, that game
is over but a new game is starting, and cookies can be earned if he can
just figure out how. He jumps up, loving this part but still wanting to
earn cookies, and gladly moves with me to get me to restart the game.

This is where many trainers get lost -- how can this possibly cause the dog
to learn the difference between good and bad sits -- but it makes perfect
sense to the dog. Picture the sit you are likely to get from a dog who
knows he may be asked to quickly jump up versus the dog who knows that once
he sits a duration of time will pass before he can move, or worse, that he
might get re-adjusted by a hand or foot. So, by virtue of the steps taken
to teach this, you cause the dog to sometimes tuck in preparation for
jumping up. R+ all those better sits and aborting all the worse will teach
him.

I quickly add proper stands and fold-back downs which enhances all three
positions.

Lana Mitchell
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