Jun
5
Dogwalks
Well, last weekend I did an ASCA trial with Trip, specifically to go out there and work on her contacts (specifically the teeter and dogwalk). I wanted to work on reinforcing the stop on the dogwalk, and see how that lesson sunk in. Well, in short, it didn’t. I’ve done this before (where I’ve taken her off the course for running the DW), and this was another attempt, this time repeating the contact when she ran it. It just doesn’t carry over. She’ll will stop the second time EVERY time, but that first one, she just doesn’t do it. And the next run, we start all over.
Of course, it’s not like she’s missing the dogwalk contact either. Some of her running dogwalks this weekend were spectacular (and she did hit every one). So, after this weekend, I decided, the hell with it, I’m going to train a running dogwalk. At least then what I get in practice and what I get at a show will be the same thing. I’ve decided to do what Sylvia Trkman does, with having the dog run a board, and just reinforce for not “leaping” from the board. This is what Trip does naturally on the DW anyway, and why I think she’s so successful doing an “untrained” running DW. I got out my Treat & Train, and started running a board, which Trip figured out in about 2 attempts. I really just need to work on getting her up to “competition” speed in practice, since she still is a little hesitant on the entire dogwalk. Lots of work making her stop in practice.
So, we’ll see how this progresses. I really think it can only help her dogwalks in competition, since at least she will have some consistency. But darnit, my next dog will have a perfect 2o2o on the darn dogwalk!
