AG240: Foundation Weaves - Love Them and Flaunt Them

AG240: FOUNDATION WEAVES - LOVE THEM AND FLAUNT THEM

THE 'FIRST POLE' GAME, by Julie Daniels

Nothing says pure 'agility' like the weaves! A combination of skill set plus mental management by dog and handler.

Often the weave poles are the last obstacle to come together for the team (hence AKC's practice of including only 6 poles instead of 12 poles in Novice classes).

In this class, we will be addressing both the physical game and the mental game of weave poles. In all the games we play, we'll be remembering to keep the mental game strong and positive.

We should by now be enjoying that all-important positive CER for the very sight of weave poles. How simple! How complicated! And often not so easy as it sounds. This class is for developing your dog's unabashed LOVE for that strange slalom obstacle we call weaves. So put lots of reinforcement and fun into the games from Week 1, and flaunt what you have accomplished there! Then get ready for this game about how to find the correct 'outside' entry. This lecture is about the 'first pole' games.

This next game will take our skill set on a different path. The prerequisites for this game are Attraction and One Between. Now we'll introduce the game of putting the first pole always on the left shoulder. This will help the dog feel the proper way to enter the weaves. Later this week we will also begin the swinging movement of weaving through a slalom.

After your dog enjoys seeking and running through the Between from all angles, then you are ready to start playing First Pole.

ANGLED POLES: THE 'FIRST POLE' GAME

After your dog is happily going through two betweens in succession, let's go on to the next lesson of angled poles. We are ready to start the long process of helping the dog feel comfortable putting the first pole on his left shoulder every single time. So this is the start of 'first pole' games. This stuff gets very exciting because you will help your dog learn a concept which will forever be essential to his mastery of weaving at speed.

Go back to only one 'go between' item. This is not about duration at all, it is a complex combination of classical and operant conditioning designed to develop a dog who feels comfortable at a visceral level when he puts the first pole on his left shoulder. That tells you that you will need a LOT of reps before you can say you are done with this one! And I say you are never done. It is a fun game to play even with your most experienced dogs.

Speaking of being never done with this concept! At least some of you wrote me that you will put a young dog in this class but you have a retrain dog in the background. I hope you will start that retrain dog on the simple exercises in Week 1. Spend a few minutes on the concept of Between, which should go quickly for a retrain. Don't skip that step. And then spend a LOT of time here on the First Pole games! I'm not kidding, you can improve everything about the dog's weave experience by enjoying this concept fully.

Remember I just said above, “the long process of helping the dog feel comfortable putting the first pole on his left shoulder...”. That tells you that this skill is not just acquired through operant conditioning. This skill of First Pole is also a function of classical conditioning. We want your dog to WANT that feeling of first pole on the left. It should feel good. It should be comfortable, so he seeks it. That's the goal of this game. Do you see the important role of classical conditioning in this skill?

When something like "put the first pole on your left" is effectively classically conditioned, it's no longer just a choice. Classical conditioning affects things like heart rate and blood pressure, the autonomic systems which are underneath our will power. We have to understand that classical conditioning is how we built that positive CER for the weave sticks. And it will paly a big role in helping our dogs WANT to feel the first pole always on their left. Correct entry will be not be just a requirement, it will be the way that feels good. See where we're going?

Classical conditioning will underscore everything we do here. We want our dogs to continue to be attracted to our games as we go forward through this class. The games will become more challenging, and mistakes will be made by all of us, dogs and humans. Be ever mindful of how your dog feels about his weaves, and how he feels about being trained by YOU. No amount of “you have to do it this way” will make up for your dog's negative CER about weaves or about a training session with you. Am I being clear? This will become more and more important as the class goes on. Don't skip the foundation steps of Week 1. And you can go back to them at any time.

OK, now let's start our first game of First Pole. The Between will now be just a little bit angled counter clockwise from the perpendicular presentation we used when we played Between. Here is a video example.

This is our young adult Corgi named Torri on her very first game of angled poles. We are working with one 2x2 in my little dining room on a slippery tiled floor. Thanks to her low center of gravity, the Corgi has no trouble with traction. You should choose a substrate which is comfortable for your dog.

Torri Intro to First Pole Game

As mentioned in the video, the angle of presentation is specifically set to help Torri feel the first pole on her left, but we don't want her to make a mistake yet. So the cookies are tossed straight ahead, and not too far away, so she can get lots of correct reps in quick succession. Step 1 should be easy as well as fun. Torri had several very short sessions of this easy angled pole game. Less than one minute per session! Five reps is fine! Ten reps is maximum! That's a good rule as you begin.

The next video shows a more challenging set-up. You will need to become the expert on when to make things harder and how much harder. My motto is “small changes, more often.” You might also benefit from going back to easy steps every now and then, even after you have progressed. It's just smart to keep the dog relaxed and happy as you go. And, as mentioned, you just can't have too many reps of feeling the first pole on the left. Just a few at a time, and many sessions in many locations. This game is quite small space friendly, so it's easy to vary locations at this point. How's your CER holding up? Is your dog excited when the weave poles come out?

Here is a harder version along with the how-to of using treat delivery to vary the approach angle.

Torri First Pole Game with More Angle

I hope you will watch and listen to these short videos more than once, as there is much to see and also much to hear. If listening isn't possible then notice the systematic way I am tossing the treats to create more advanced approach angles back to the equipment. I tried to keep these videos short enough that they will be both useful and interesting, without extraneous stuff in there.

Now here is a very short session with Torri making the transition to the diffucult path adjustment as she finds the proper first pole position, ending with a breath-holder rep and jackpot, a perfect stop point. Don't do all of this in one session! It's tempting to keep going, but it is not smart. These sessions should be short! If you keep your dog's empowerment in mind, then you are likely to make the right decision about ending your session when the dog has plenty of desire to play. Never overstay your welcome! Here is Torri showing how well she understands this First Pole concept now:

Torri First Pole Game with Sharp Angle

Notice how I use the toss of the cookie to determine where I want Torri to start her next rep from. We will play separately some First Pole games which have the dog starting beside the handler. But this first game is designed to get the dog thinking for himself about where to put his body. I do not want the handler interfering with the dog's choices in this game. So think about tossing the reward cookies straight ahead for the dog in order to create a "weave line." Previously we wanted the dog to move perpendicularly through the poles, but now we are beginning to create a straight line which will eventually put the weaves in a row.

I can't wait to see how you enjoy these games. Keep Attraction at the forefront of every session. Don't worry about how far you go. And begin at the beginning even if you don't think you need to! Do not skip any of these games! If you are a Gold student, you can concentrate your video work wherever you want my input and help. But do the exercises from the beginning, each and every one.

REINFORCEMENT DELIVERY

Do you need to practice your cookie tosses without your dog? That would be very smart of you! Do you need to experiment with which cookies toss better? What color cookies to use so that your dog can find them quickly? Make sure to get all of your materials and your gear together and in place before you bring your dog into the mix. Be ready to relax and have fun when you add your dog to the session.

I think we all agree that you need to get inside your dog's head. You need to know what he likes and what he will enjoy working for. That will be very important throughout the program! Do you know your dog's reinforcement hierarchy? I think you should have three different levels of reward. Almost anything the dog wants can be used as a treat. What are you using for treats with these games? Are you changing the treats depending on the challenge or the environment? What's your ace in the hole? How full is your reinforcement tool box? I find reinforcement to be a fascinating topic, and many different dogs have taught me the value of many different unexpected rewards.

I hope I have opened the door for some interesting topics of discussion. There will be easy and difficult work for everyone. I thank you for participating in this Fenzi class, and I will do my very best to keep you progressing and having fun with weaves! Let's talk about it!

Julie Daniels

Deerfield, NH