AG205: Creating Confident Commitment

Factors Affecting Commitment 

There are several important factors that impact commitment, and these are areas we want to focus our attention on as we work toward building the confident commitment we’re after. One of the biggest contributors to a lack of commitment is a lack of confidence, our dogs simply aren’t clear on what we’re asking of them.

In this class, we’re going to use clarity, consistency, and connection to help build understanding and confidence. These are all areas where you play a HUGE role! I’m a big believer in splitting behaviours, not just for your dog, but for you as well. Many of the concepts we explore will begin with human-only exercises so you can practice and develop your skills. Then, we will layer your dogs back into the picture.

Now, let’s dive into the concepts of clarity, consistency, and connection.

Clarity

A lack of clarity leaves our dogs unsure and can quickly erode their confidence in us. We want to be clear in our reward strategies, reward mechanics, cue combinations, and timing.

There are two key things we can do as handlers to improve clarity:

• Plan ahead
• Work through exercises without our dogs

Planning ahead allows us to develop a clear mental picture of what we want to achieve, making execution much easier. As much as we love working with our dogs, they can also add a great deal of pressure. They may be fast, and we feel the need to rush to keep up. They may be sensitive to errors, and we feel like we HAVE to get everything right.

Taking the dog out of the picture allows us to focus on our own skills as handlers. We can slow things down and work through each piece of the puzzle, increasing our fluency. The more fluent we are, whether that’s delivering rewards, using clear body language, or executing actions without overthinking, the clearer the picture becomes for our dogs.

Ask yourself: Are my pictures clear to me?
Do I know what reward strategies are available and which ones work best for my team?
Can I execute those strategies with clean mechanics?
Am I clear on my cue combinations and how each handling element fits together?
Do I understand my timing—when to cue and when to reward?

If any of these pieces are unclear to you, it’s likely they are unclear to your dog as well.

Consistency

Consistency is directly tied to clarity. Often, when we lack clarity, we also lack consistency. Some of our exercises will help define exactly what we’re responsible for and how we can execute more consistently.

If we can perform a skill the same way every time, that consistency creates clarity. It makes it easier for our dogs to follow along, because they are experts at noticing small details. When we’re consistent, our dogs can recognize patterns and confidently predict what comes next.

We want to improve consistency in our reward strategies, reward mechanics, cue combinations, and timing. And yes... you likely guessed it, this means more human-focused exercises before we bring the dog back in.

Ask yourself:
Am I consistent?
Do I use my reward strategies clearly and the same way each time?
Are my reward mechanics consistent?
Are my cue combinations consistent?
Is my timing consistent?

Connection

Connection is a big one, and it’s closely linked to both clarity and consistency. When we are clear on our role and can execute consistently, it’s much easier to stay present and connected. When we lack clarity or fluency, it’s easy to become distracted and disconnect and that disconnect can prevent commitment.

Some of you may have heard the phrase: Connect–Commit–Cue. Our dogs are always seeking connection, and most dog will not commit until they have connection from their handler. Think about how often you’ve seen a dog finish an obstacle and immediately move toward the handler, they’re looking for connection. Meanwhile, we are often focused ahead on the “next” thing.

Instead, when we follow connect–commit–cue, we connect as the dog finishes an obstacle and maintain that connection through the commit and cue phases. That connection helps the dog stay on their path rather than drifting toward us.

So what does connection look like in agility? It’s not about staring deeply into your dog’s eyes. Between obstacles, connection is your dog seeing the side profile of your face.

Different dogs require different levels of connection. Younger dogs or those lacking confidence may need to see more of your face than a more experienced dog. As we go through this class, we will be looking at each team individually to determine what level of connection works best.

Connection supports dogs in staying on their line and finding the next obstacle more efficiently.

Ask yourself:
Do I always know where my dog is on course?
Do I stay mentally present?
Do I know where reconnection points are when handling or equipment breaks connection?
Do I focus on reconnecting as my dog completes an obstacle?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, don’t worry, we’re going to break everything down and work through it together. If you answered “yes” to many of them, you’re already well on your way to building a strong, confident team. From there, we can focus on refining and improving what you’re already doing.