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Put Routines To Work In Your Training Program
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© 2003 by Ed Presnall
Developing standard routines for your dog is imperative. Routines are created to bring both you and the dog to a raised level of awareness of your surroundings, alleviate the butterflies in your stomach and ready your dog for the challenges and tasks he is about to face.
These routines are developed for each area of the track. A well-trained team, working together, will instill confidence in each other and will show the spectators and judges that this is a team to be watched and appreciated! Standard routines should be developed and practiced every time you are training. They should become so commonplace, that they become second nature to you and the dog and you immediately sense a difference when a routine is short-cut or missed. Develop routines in the following areas:
As you will notice, like all of my training, break down the routines into individual components, which, at least for me, make learning and conditioning both the dog and me to the routine much simpler. You can utilize routines similar to these or create your own to meet your training requirements.
Starting at the car or van - think positive and plan ahead. Do not allow yourself to sit and think about all of the bad things that can happen, concentrate on you and your dog working as a team. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the other tracks and spectators and need to rush to get your dog ready and get to your track. Think about what will be required and treat your training track as if it was a test track.
Exercising your dog - Retrieve your dog from the vehicle and exercise him in the designated place. Take a few minutes to make sure your dog is “up” and ready for today’s challenge. Toss a toy or sit quietly with your dog. Determine what your dog needs during this period for him to be prepared.
Walking to the start - Walk confidently to the start. I always stop a few yards before the start flag to extend my long line, taking the time to untangle any knots, which have magically appeared in the few moments since we left the car. I carry my harness in my right hand with the neck straps held between my fingers and the back piece and harness-connecting ring across my hand. In this manner I can easily use one hand to slip the harness over the dogs head and quickly connect the chest straps and long line.
At the Article - Some dogs will nuzzle the article, others will pick it up and a few will totally ignore it and take the scent from the pad itself. In my case, I have my dogs hold the article, thereby, in my opinion, introducing the scent directly into their olfactory receptors and giving them an immediate stimulation and mental picture of what we will be tracking today. This is a decision you must make with your dog but in any case, allow the dog to remain at the start area for a sufficient period of time to gather scent.
Downing or sitting the dog - I prefer to down or sit my dogs at the start to allow them to absorb additional scent from the scent pad. I do not force a down or sit but rather teach this action away from the tracking field as a preparation to “play” any game. Whether we are in the back yard to play catch with a tennis ball or at the park with a Frisbee or at the start of a TD, TDX or VST track, each game starts with a sit or down. The dog quickly learns that this is required in order to play the game and it will give you an additional moment or two to figure out how the harness got tangled around your hand in the last few seconds!
Instilling confidence - Take a deep breath and talk gently and softly to your dog during this preparation time at the scent pad. I always like to remind my dog how good he is and how much fun it will be to find the articles and earn the goodies and praise at the end of the track.
Last minute instructions - Take another deep breath, clear your mind of any negative thoughts, and try to picture you and your dog performing the perfect choreographed dance across the tracking area. Picture a strong, confident start, and give your dog your Track! command.
Develop and practice similar routines for a situation, which may occur along the track such as, re-starts, at articles, water breaks, during and after an interruption and at the end of the track.
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