Rethinking Sends in Agility

I'm currently training a new puppy for dog sports and I'm thinking a lot about the foundations I want for a confident and eager agility partner.

It's pretty standard to say that I want a dog who can commit to obstacles and stay focused on the line I cue, even when I send and run away.

And to get this obstacle commitment, a widely used foundation exercise involves running to the toy or food target - a long line of jumps with a reward placed at the end. Often with the instructor right there to "guard" the reward and prevent the dog from stealing it if they run around an obstacle.

Even when an advanced dog is struggling to send out, we put the toy "on their line" to help them.

But I spend most of my foundations avoiding exactly that skill.

Without first starting with a thorough education on how to leave the reward to get the reward, putting the reward as a target for the dog to run to results in a dog who isn't thinking about the send. They're blindly running to the reward.

It results in instructors repeatedly covering up the reward to prevent the dog from "stealing," and a dog who goes through a cycle of either shutting down or yelling at the handler before they learn how to win.

It's not about blindly running to the reward. It's about handling to the reward.

I don't teach stare at the reward. (Well, not at step 1.) I teach focus on me and listen for the magical cue.

I start with leave the reward to get the reward. The toy/food is not a lure for a send, it's the reward for sending.

And having a "stealable" reward forces us to slow down and split.

This is my foundation. Clear understanding of what I'm cuing, and of what I'm not cuing. No frustration. No guarding the reward.

But that step with the cone? That's not even in weeks 1 and 2 of my class! There are so many other skills to teach the dog 1st about how to listen to cues both stationary AND when moving!

I'm not relying on punishment to teach the dog what not to do.

I need to break this down and build the dog up.

Ravioli is mastering stationary marker cue discrimination where he is focusing on me and not staring at the toy, but offering stillness and listening to what I'm saying. And everything I say leads to an immediate reward! He's just learning where!

And now some motion and tiny sends away from the reward! We're still emphasizing focus and not assuming he gets the toy as soon as he does the thing.

I believe that learning how to work around the reward is a crucial skill for building distance and independence.

It teaches the dog to actively seek out the obstacle, even when they have to move past the reward in order to do so.

Once the dog has this skill, then it becomes easy to add back in the reward directly on the dog's line. We can use the toy to reward the dog's line, not to blindly teach running to a toy.

If you've ever dreamed of having independent backsides or threadles? Placing the reward on the dog's landing line can help a lot with the send while you run away! But it requires the dog to move past the reward in order to get there.

We can train this foundation!

Ravioli is just starting to get to that fun stage of tiny sequencing where he's learning to seek out the jumps. And I'm using the toy placed both on the straightforward line to get extension, and in places where he has to be handled to it.

That second goal requires more thinking, but he's also placing a lot more value on seeking out the obstacle in order to get it!

It should+ be a balance when they're first learning agility. I do place the reward directly on their line. But most of their foundation is on handling to the reward, not just running straight to it.

If you want help splitting down this skill so that you can place your toy (or food bowl!) then join me in Bye Bye Cookie: Hello Remote Reinforcement!

This class takes a deep dive into learning how to teach your dog to work around rewards. It opens November 22nd for working spots, and starts December 1st!

And most exercises can be done inside :)