In the following video I recreated and likely solved a problem a client had while trying to prompt her dog to do a new trick.
The Back Story
Elwood had gradually learned Rollover and I then showed his owner a hand gesture to accompany the cue, “Rollover”. That was in case Elwood ever needed the extra prompting. A few weeks later she said her dog kept standing up instead of rolling over. This video was meant to be a visual aid to the hand gesture, a key part in Elwood’s learning process, it is not meant to be a trick tutorial. As a byproduct, you see me very likely create and solve the same “standing” issue mentioned above.
The Story
This brief video shows me rushing a dog too quickly through a trick warm-up. There’s an unwanted result and then a “Plan B” adjustment. I don’t want to spoil the outcome of the adjustment, but let’s just say it involves hot dogs and cheese for the student!
The Moral of the Story
Whether training something for the first time, or doing a tune-up session, always know the “baby steps” of the learning curve, both ahead and behind. Be ready to adjust, as needed. In the video, I stood up too soon, so I had to take it back a notch. I was then able to proceed, having helped Elwood get into his groove. The end result looks like a dramatic improvement, but remember: Leaps and bounds are the result of baby steps, or rather, puppy steps.
