How Tricky Got Her Groove Back:
PART 3 – LESSONS LEARNED & NEXT STEPS
In the sport of agility, as well as other dog sports, we often hear the word ‘drive’. Sometimes we hear that a particular dog has a lot of drive or could use more drive. Sometimes we hear that a particular dog has increased drive or lost drive. When I attend agility training camps, the registration form asks about the level of drive in the dog: low, moderate, or high. So what is drive? It’s simply the dog’s desire to perform a certain behavior. In ethology and behavioral ecology, “fixed action patterns” which were renamed “motor patterns” as they can be modified, have been in the scientific literature way before dog trainers used “drive” as a way to define a dog’s personality and behavior.
In an article written by Daniel Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D., they say: “There is no scientific evidence that dogs have traits like prey drives, pack drives, or defensive drives. The studies of dog temperament that have been done have not identified such simple and all-inclusive traits… Drive traits are often used to make predictions about the later behavior of dogs.
Some puppy tests and adult temperament tests are used to identify certain drive traits and then to predict the abilities and future performance of the dogs. None of these tests has ever been shown to identify these traits and to predict future behavior. In fact, at least two studies have found that puppy tests do not predict later behavior of adult dogs.” This is actually very good news because it creates freedom in training with your dog. What we call ‘drive’ is more fluid than we may realize. It is not fixed and can be modified. This means that training can create the agility partner you want in your dog. Defining your dog’s drive is not meant to be a limitation or a lid on what’s possible in your dog’s agility career. In agility, handlers channel a dog’s drive into the game using various forms of reinforcement, thereby creating enthusiasm for the game.
By recognizing your dog’s level of drive, you can look at what’s missing that could make a real difference in how you train. That’s what I did when I accepted that Tricky has moderate drive. It actually freed me up so there was more space to be creative in how I trained with her. Tricky needs 110% from me, whether we are at a Regional trial or we are training the backyard. What that looks like is being totally present, goofy, loud, playful and on the ground with her tugging like a fool. I learned what she needs through trial and error, along with lots of coaching from instructors who’ve been there, done that.
A dog’s drive tells you how motivated the dog is to play the game with you in that moment. If the drive is there that means the dog is in the perfect state of arousal for him, and therefore more focused on you and what you’re asking versus possible distractions in the environment. There have been countless Clean Run articles addressing arousal and drive so I am going to bring the focus of this article back to what I did with Tricky, my Terrier Chihuahua cross. Yup, there’s Chihuahua in there!
I spent the first two articles of this three-part series talking about Tricky’s drive, what I did that caused her to lose it, and the things I did to build it back. Now I will talk about what I’ve done to keep it and suggestions to help others to do the same.
Part of any good training plan includes a strategy to continue to move forward and prevent the same issues from developing…again. It’s about catching yourself before you find yourself at the “bottom of the ravine.” In this third and final part of the article, I will share the aspects of training that helped me catch myself. These ideas also helped set me up for success when training Tricky, allowing our sessions to continue to be effective and fun!
In this shot, Tricky received a reward after wrapping around the wing, as was planned beforehand.
Look for Opportunities to Reward
Sexy handling is always more fun and getting through a challenging sequence is a huge reward for the human. But there is our canine counterpart to think of too. I fell short as Tricky’s teammate when I didn’t look for opportunities to reward Tricky within the sequences. All I cared about was the end goal, missing all of the glorious accomplishments along the way.
Two and a half years ago Tricky’s drive was already faltering, but I still wasn’t paying attention. I would work her through challenging sequences, only looking to get it done right, saving the reward for the end. I was focused on working out my own timing, getting in and out of position, and giving Tricky information on where she had to go next. I remember a seminar where I was struggling with a particular part of the course. After several attempts Tricky just left the course and started running around, sniffing. At the time I totally missed the training breakdown. While I repeated the sequence again and again, just thinking about my job, I was also inadvertently withholding reinforcement from Tricky. I was so busy thinking about ME I didn’t take the time to plan opportunities to reward my canine partner.
When building drive and value for the game it is important to plan and execute rewarding the dog for areas on the course that are challenging as well as areas that seem more simple. Plan on rewarding points along the course where you KNOW the sequence will go right. As an example, one easy reward point is on the opening line with three straight jumps in a row. By surprising the dog with a reward it increases their desire to keep playing. Tricky taught me this even though my instructors had been saying this all along.
The instructor is explaining how to best handle a course.
Be Coachable
The most difficult part of this journey for me was accepting the current situation, letting it go, and then accepting the coaching without taking it as a personal failure. My other suggestion: Take the emotion out of training—literally emotionless training. Yes, celebrate when you execute a difficult transition on course or your dog finally weaves 12 poles, but don’t let yourself be bogged down by negative emotions. That negativity clouds your mind and interferes with your ability to be successful. It is difficult to accept coaching and adjust accordingly when your mind is not clear. It’s human nature to get caught up in the negative. Believe me, I’ve been there! I used to compare my dogs to others—wish my dogs were faster, wish I was better, wish I had more time to train, wish I had more money to attend workshops and compete in trials. I wasn’t paying attention to what I actually had in my life so I wasn’t able to hear and receive so much of the coaching that was given to me. This wasn’t fair to my dogs, to me, or my very patient and persistent instructors.
Sometimes a little tough love is offered by your instructors because they can see the dog training deteriorating long before you can. I suggest that you accept that ‘tough love’ and let yourself get back on track and play the game. Our instructors have our best interest at heart, pulling for us to be the best team possible. We handlers can become emotionally attached in a way our instructors may not be. That ability to be a little less emotionally invested is what gives our instructors the ability to give helpful feedback on how to move forward. In my case, I needed the proverbial butt-kicking to sharpen up my training. My instructors were “kicking my butt” for about 8 months before I finally heard them. I had to check my ego at the door and recognize that it’s all just a game. As one of my instructors often says, we’re not curing cancer.
Three years ago because of my pending divorce, walking away from a business I spent ten years building, and starting over financially, my life felt heavy and even unbearable at times. Two years ago, I began participating in a personal development program, giving me the ability to be coachable. It was truly a gift. I learned to be present, to let go, and most importantly lighten up. Life began to occur to me as one big game and I was glad to be playing again. I learned that being coachable means understanding that you don’t have all of the answers and you’re never done learning. And sometimes doing things that are out of your comfort zone—because that’s where you stretch and grow! Agility is always evolving. That requires us to evolve as well as dog trainers and competitors. We can even learn things from those folks who handle or train differently than we might. Sometimes it’s about trying a new handling move or training our dog in a different way. Sometimes it’s about just doing what the instructor says because as humans, we can get caught up in the ‘weeds’. Being coachable means being open and taking action.
Dog Training is NOT a Checklist
I remember teaching a pet manners class years ago and on graduation day, a student came up to me at the end to thank me. She then asked me if she was done training her dog since she had graduated from Basic Manners II. I smiled and said you’re never finished training because your dog is always learning! She was initially crestfallen at this news. After we discussed this a bit more, she better understood what I was saying. She recognized the opportunity she had to continue to build a relationship with her dog through training. But that’s just it, isn’t it? Every interaction with your dog is a learning opportunity. I knew this conceptually, but I really got it in my bones during this journey with Tricky. Just because I taught a solid sit stay with Tricky as a puppy didn’t mean I would always have one if I neglected it. It wasn’t a task to be checked off the “training list.” The way to keep a solid sit stay was to continue reinforcing it in a variety of ways, in different contexts. Sounds so simple and yet so many handlers lose that sit stay once they start competing.
I now think of each behavior I’ve taught Tricky as a precious commodity. I honor each one by treating it accordingly. For example, we recently moved out of New York City and into a house in New Jersey on a lake (hooray for backyards full of agility equipment!). Tricky hasn’t had the practice of being off leash around critters in a yard in almost two years. She’s been off leash in a variety of settings, but not this particular context. During our first week here, she twice ran to chase geese in the neighbor’s yard when I let her out for a quick bathroom break. I’ve been down this road before so I knew exactly what to do. After figuratively kicking myself in the bum for allowing it to happen twice I implemented my game plan to set Tricky up for success. For the next month, as the snow and ice begin to melt, Tricky will be on leash at all times in the back yard. I will take her off leash only when I know that she is ready to play with me. I will know she is ready by playing the various relationship games with her that I described in Part 1 and 2 of this series, BEFORE I unclip the leash. When I see that Tricky is once again choosing to play with me rather than chase geese, squirrels, and rabbits, I will start to give her more freedom in the backyard.
We’re never done training our dogs—and I’m not just referring to new handling and obstacle skills you might learn in a class. I am also talking about the day-to-day interactions that support your agility dog in being an awesome family companion, because that’s the way to create a solid teammate.
Create a Training Plan
It takes time and planning to create workability. Like many agility competitors, I have a very busy life, so making the most out of my training time is important. When one of my instructors told me to create a training plan for Tricky after losing her drive, little did I know at the time that it would turn into a three-part article in Clean Run.
Perhaps you’ve lost some drive in your dog or perhaps you want to build more drive. Here are some of the things to think about when you create your plan:
• What does your dog love that you already know about?
• What are some new things to try to see if your dog loves them (new treats, new toys, new games)?
• What does your dog look like at his/her peak of drive? What is he like now? What changed?
And most of all have fun with your dog! Each of them teach us valuable agility AND life lessons. All we have to do is pay attention.
“How Tricky Got Her Groove Back”
PART 2 – EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT TUGGING
Drive it Home
There are many great articles already written on how to teach tugging, how to keep tug drive, and the benefits of tugging in agility. Rather than repeating what has already been written, I’m going to talk about my experience with my dog, Tricky.
Tricky is a 12 pound terrier mix. She is now 5 years old and has been with me since she was 8 weeks old. Up until Tricky was a year and a half, she had pretty good tug drive. Tricky tugged as a puppy, but she didn’t come with built-in, insane tug drive. I had to build upon it through a variety of games. I knew what she valued most out of all of her toys: balls, specifically Cuz balls and tennis balls. Her ultimate tug toy was a Cuz ball attached to a rope, but she also tugged on a variety of furry toys. She has been playing the game of agility with me since she was itty bitty. During a difficult time in my personal life (which I talked about in the first article in this 3 part series), I ‘dropped the ball’ with Tricky for about a year. One of the things that happened during that time was that Tricky lost interest in tugging. As part of our return to competition, I wanted to rebuild strong tug drive with Tricky. I will share the strategy I used to get Tricky back up to speed!
The Power of Tug
I have been an instructor for several years and I never really got the value of tug until I no longer had it with Tricky. Isn’t that always the case—you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone? I taught all of my students about the value and mechanics of tugging, but in hindsight, I see that I was simply repeating what had been told to me by my instructors.
While I understand the value of food training in agility, I believe many food rewarded dogs do not reach their full potential because they don’t develop the same drive from food rewards that they could develop if they were tugging maniacs. Don’t get me wrong—there are plenty of teams out there that compete successfully using just food and there are plenty of dogs out there that are naturally high-drive, but Tricky is not one of them. Science shows that play brings up a dog’s arousal while food brings down a dog’s arousal—as my instructors used to say: “Don’t put your dogs into a ‘cookie coma’ by using too many treats and not taking any play breaks.” You might want to bring your dog’s arousal down a bit if your dog is naturally high-drive, but again in my case, Tricky is not that dog.
So much of agility training is about how and when the dog is rewarded. For example, if I am teaching independence on a pinwheel, I want to reward the dog for independent thinking that leads to a successful outcome. A dog that is passionate about toys gives me more freedom in training behaviors and skills that require the dog to work away from me. In other words, when training independence on a pinwheel, I want to reward the close as close to the location of the second jump as possible. If I toss a treat, it could get lost in the grass or bounce away on the mat. If I toss a treat pouch, the dog has to wait for me to run over and open the pouch with my very helpful thumbs, so that defeats the purpose of rewarding independent behavior. And rewarding with the treat from my pocket definitely does not create independent thinking because the reward is happening next to me, not on the line. In addition, the dog is receiving the reward a couple of seconds after finishing the pinwheel behavior. Instant rewards help to build drive. Who likes getting paid late for a job well done? Not me!
Today, there are lots of toys available that allow the dog to pounce on and access food without waiting for a pair of thumbs to assist. And although I use these toys intermittently in Tricky’s training, my particular dog drives hardest for toys that she can chase and tug. Unless you have a foodie for a dog who literally loses his mind for a treat, most dogs don’t appear insane over a treat. They can get pretty excited over a meatball, but there’s nothing like a dog that ‘attacks’ a toy as if it were prey. Ever see a dog with tug drive? His eyeballs are popping out of his head! That level of arousal makes distractions fall into the background, allowing the dog to focus on task. Ever play a sport in high school? I was part of a nationally successful track & field team as a race walker. There is a state of mind sports psychologists call ‘in the zone.’ That’s the perfect state of arousal where all you notice is the game because you are fully present, body and mind working in sync. I achieved that state of mind almost every time I was in a race. And when I was “in the zone” I consistently placed. With a dog like Tricky that naturally has moderate drive; I have to use everything I’ve got to rev her up. I want to teach her how to get ‘in the zone’ and to love the zone!
The Art of Tugging
Tugging is actually a mechanical skill. There is a way to turn off a dog to tugging, especially a dog that has moderate to low drive about the tug toy to begin with. And just like training any skill, whether it is for obedience or agility, you can inadvertently reward something you don’t want.
Keep Your Eye on the Dog
So much of agility training is about maintaining a connection with your dog. That means that you are watching your dog with both eyes and with your full attention. This applies to tugging too. Any time you turn away from your dog, it’s like a ‘Time Out’. Think about what you do when a dog jumps on you or barks at you and you want him to stop doing that; you turn your back to him to disengage him. Any time you run a sequence with your dog and something goes wrong, what do you do? You very likely turn to your instructor for feedback. But by immediately turning to your instructor, you also probably turned your back to your dog—‘Time Out’ for your dog who worked so hard in that sequence. Your dog doesn’t understand that something went wrong and you need to discuss it with your instructor! He just knows that you removed your attention from him. Maybe you gave him the toy and played for a moment before turning to your instructor. As far as your dog is concerned, we were in the middle of having a great time and then you left. He doesn’t know you are getting information on how to be a better handler and trainer for him! He thinks you blew him off! With a low to moderate drive dog, this is one of the ways to kill tugging. Instead of turning away immediately; stay fully engaged while playing with your dog, then end the game by asking your dog to lie down or hold his collar, and then turn to your instructor. Your instructors will wait for you while you practice great dog training.
Getting low to the ground at his level can help increase a dog’s tug drive. Just be careful not to lean forward and hover over him. Give him room to tug.
Keep your eye on your dog while playing tug as well. Your dog knows when you are there with him in the moment. If you are distracted, you can possibly miss behaviors that can weaken tug drive over time, such as re-latching. One of the things that I used to do was tug with Tricky to the start line and then look down the line of obstacles to see where I wanted to set her up. Tricky’s view of this was that we were having a great time tugging and then we stopped for no reason that made any sense to her. That disconnect was one more rehearsal of not ‘being’ with my dog in the moment. Again, for a low to moderate drive dog, any disconnect counts. I remember a number of occasions when I was actually talking on my mobile phone while tugging with Tricky—that’s how much I took it for granted! Now what I do is tug with her, pull the toy out of her mouth while holding her scruff or collar or chest. I ‘talk dirty’ to her while checking out the line, then I give her back the tug and we play some more while I get her into position. It has to be all about the dog when building drive.
How Low Can You Go?!
Keeping the toy low on the ground is way more exciting than waving the toy over the dogs head or in his face. This allows for the dog to more easily latch onto the toy as well as engage prey drive. If you cannot bend over or get on your knees to tug, then modify the toy to work with you. You can tie a few toys together or attach a toy to a leash or rope to create length. This will allow you to keep the toy low while you stand up straight.
The toy in this image is laying still on the ground…boring!
Make it Come Alive!
Dogs are naturally prey driven. Ever see watch your dog chase a critter or cat, or perhaps another dog? You can engage this natural drive (or re-engage this natural drive) using a tug toy. It all comes down to the mechanics. Move the toy away from the dog in quick, jerky movements. Drag it side to side, a few feet this way and a few feet that way. Smack it against the ground. Make it dance! Shoving the toy in the dog’s face will likely cause the dog to shut down and not want to play. For example, Tricky will turn her head away from me if I shove the toy in her face. Teasing her with the toy is how I get the terrier in her come alive!
Play Keep Away!
Were you ever the victim of the cruel game of keep away by a big brother or sister? Or were you the one that teased a younger sibling? I am the oldest of four girls, as well as the tallest of my sisters. I was very good at playing keep away. The more I held the coveted item away from my sisters, dancing and bouncing about, the more they wanted it. The same technique can work for your dog. Really channel that inner big sister/brother when playing this game. Make a big fuss about waving the toy over your head. You can even yell out “na-na-na-na poo-poo!” Pretend to offer it to your dog, and then whip it away before he can grab it. Make your dog really nutty and then give it to him to grab. This game always gets Tricky going. Once again, it’s so important to watch your dog and find the magic place where you keep the excitement level high enough to keep your dog involved, but not so high that your dog gets frustrated and ‘quits’. After a few moments of teasing, let your dog grab that coveted tug toy.
Tying a few toys together or using a toy with lots of fun things to grab can entice a dog’s interest.
The Longer the Better
Long toys, especially long furry toys, are great for engaging prey drive. They also allow you to tug with your dog without having your hands too close to the dog’s muzzle. Looming over the dog while tugging could also be a turn off for him, especially a little dog. I am 5’8” and Tricky is only a little over 14” at her withers—there is a significant height difference between us. When I play tug with her, I make sure that I am not looming over her, but instead am giving her room to tug her best.
Naughty or Nice?
I liked to encourage Tricky to be completely naughty when I was re-building her tug drive. Tricky currently doesn’t have a ‘drop’ cue for the toy. I don’t want self-control when it comes to tugging because I want her to be crazy for the toy. I rip the toy out of her mouth, which is in line with the games of keep away and making the toy come alive—it’s all about building passion for the toy. Tricky is allowed to jump up for the toy and grab at it (sometimes being careless with her teeth hitting or scratching my hands). I also get down on the ground with Tricky and let her climb all over me to try to grab at the toy. Basically, all of the ‘good’ dog trainer skills you have should go out the window. Pretend to be a ‘bad’ dog trainer, allowing the dog to practice naughty, pushy behaviors to get at the toy.
Accidently Rewarding Non-Tugging…eek!
I was really good at rewarding Tricky for weak tugging or refusal to tug. I was so caught up in getting the tugging, I was not aware of my mechanics and the actual dog training that was going on. Any time Tricky let go of the toy, I offered it again. Oops—just rewarded letting go! Any time Tricky re-latched on the toy, I made it more enticing by turning on my excitement during the tug session. Oops—just rewarded re-latching! Any time Tricky turned her head away when I offered the tug toy, I made the toy seem more enticing by smacking it on the ground and offering it again. Oops—just rewarded refusing the toy!
Physically stimulating your dog while tugging can increase your dog’s state of arousal. Start with tapping and see if you can get to a gentle “smack.”
So what did I change in these specific examples? Any time Tricky lets go of the toy, I now play keep away. Any time Tricky attempts to re-latch, I revert to the keep away game here as well. I also play a couple of physical arousal-building games while tugging with her to discourage re-latching. One of the games is where I gently tap (or smack) the sides of Tricky’s body. The other game is the muzzle grab. I gently take hold of Tricky’s muzzle, sometimes blowing on it, while she’s tugging. Whenever Tricky turns her head away and refuses the tug toy, I use the good ole’ game of ‘keep away’ to get her back in the game. It also helped to have Tricky on leash so she can’t bugger off after refusing the toy.
Make Time to Tug
While building tug drive, don’t pull out the tug toy only when training for agility. I have tug toys tucked away in different parts of the house so Tricky never knows when we might go into an insane game of tug. Also, there’s less pressure when you’re not working equipment. Popping out a game of tug will be just about play, short and sweet. Tugging is not a duration behavior, such as a Sit-Stay. End the game before the dog does to keep him wanting more. And most of all, just play!
Clarity & Harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
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