SH340: IPO Obedience: Sendout and Down Stay

Down at a Distance: First Steps

Let’s separate out the skill of downing at a distance in the send out exercise. This lecture deals with the distance aspect of the dog being away from the handler and listening to the down cue

Steps:

• Down at a distance while tied to a fence, or held back by a person
• Down at a distance free from restraint
• Down with a “fake toy throw”

Down at a distance with restraint:

Some dogs have really learned that obedience cues are performed near the handler and have lots of difficulty figuring out how to down without being right next to you. Those dogs benefit from a session or two of being tied to a fence and asked to down. Start 1 step away, then 2 steps, etc… Don’t advance steps until your dog is successful at downing without testing the leash first.

Down at a distance without restraint:

Some dogs can start at this step. If you’ve kept a really thinking training system, and you’ve kept good criteria for the down, then sometimes the distance doesn’t matter. I’m pretty sure I had to tie Reik to the fence when I first introduced the concept of distance to him, but Ones has never needed that step. This is Ones first session introducing this concept:

This is Reik showing how to increase distance and another added step of getting the dog to setting the dog up in a stay facing away from you, before cuing to down.

Usually as you practice this skill, the dog starts to anticipate. This is awesome! Go practice this on your send out field and start creating that association of downing in the general vicinity of the send out line.

Down with a fake throw:

I like to add this step in because it gets the dog at a distance from you, and at a  more aroused state than the previous steps. They get wise to this as well so don’t do two in a row! Here is Reik:

 Happy Training!