In this session, teams will work through the process of generalization and proofing that is required for behaviors to hold up under the context of a competition.
Everything from the car ride to the rewards you use to the judge in the ring can impact your team’s arousal level. This impact can cause our precious sports behaviors to break down and “trial-only” problems are quickly developed. How can we improve our training in order to get in front of this common problem? I’m going to show you during this working session! It’s my goal to shift your focus from “I need to calm them down” to “I need to train them to be precise in high arousal” – after all, the entire team will be aroused on the day of the competition!
The process is simple:
1. Write down everything you need your dog to do in the ring and the conditions you need them to be successful in.
2. Split those behaviors into replicable pieces.
3. Turn the dials on those pieces up to recognizable but unlikely situations.
I said simple, not easy. The process does take commitment and creativity on the part of the trainer. Not sure how that should look? Join this working session to see the process in action! Attendance at the Ring Prep Without the Ring lecture is encouraged!
Working participants should have one well-known skill that can be completed on cue without a reward present. Equipment available: jump, tunnel. (contacts/weaves TBD) Other behaviors we can work on: leash removal, start-line stay, and leashing up at the end of a run.