The Consequent Game is a way of looking at the game of Disc as both game and learning experience. It is based on teamwork and helps to build a strong bond dog and handler and an enjoyable way to train.
Playing disc with a dog is a complex game: attention, outrun, tracking, chase, catch, retrieve, drop, positional awareness, all of these issues come into play on every throw, and that is just in a backyard game of catch. When we start to play freestyle with our dogs, there are literally hundreds of complex situations like these going on within our games.
This game differs from other dog sports, mainly in terms of complexity. Predictable body movements cue and trigger dogs to perform behaviors in agility, and while those predictable body movements are still important, they do not necessarily communicate the same information in a game of canine disc. The equipment is static in agility and flyball. Discs are moving and unstable. We constantly ask the dog to catch and release his target which is not only the target, it is also the reward. We ask them to switch from target to target all the time. There are many possible pitfalls. The Consequent Game isn’t the answer to all of them, but it sure is a good start and an enlightening concept.
So, how do we teach dogs to read and perform so many complex behaviors on command? How do we do accomplish this reliably when the dog is engaged in drive?
We deal with the problems of the complex nature of K9Disc by having a standard communication system. The Consequent Chain, a 3 step process based upon Operant Conditioning is the foundation of the Consequent Game.
We will teach our dogs, through this communication method, that their behavior affects their consequence, their good behavior makes the game interesting.
Because discdogging is such a team sport, it is not a good idea to think of behaviors in terms of command and obey. We request a behavior and the dog either performs it or not.
If the dog performs the behavior that was desired, we use a positive marker and give an immediate reward, in the case of teaching behaviors, or a timely reward for learned behaviors.
If the dog does not perform the requested behavior, we mark with a No Reward Marker, and connect that to a removal of the target or some other game breaking neutral consequence.
The consequence, as noted above, can be positive or neutral, but rarely should be negative. The only reason for a negative consequence should be dangerous behaviors, such as biting hands, invasion of personal space, or other blatant disregard for the handler’s well being.
It is important, while working in drive, to keep the consequence closely linked to the marker. The closer the two are linked the faster a request will be understood. Good consequences that are well timed often lead to 2 or 3 rep learning curves.
This consequent chain may be a different flavor, but is nothing new to experienced dog trainers, but not all discdoggers and potential discdoggers are experienced trainers, and many trainers don’t understand that the game of k9disc is no different than regular dog training. It just requires slightly modified timing, greater flexibility, and a little bit of specialized discdog knowledge. Those trainers that are not teaching through play, or using mainly positive methods need to be aware of the consequent chain to understand and apply the Consequent Game to their training.
A key component of the Consequent Chain in k9disc is the time between Behavior/Marker and Reward. When teaching, or when working a problem behavior, these two steps need to happen nearly simultaneously. By connecting these two steps, and linking them so closely, it is nearly unmistakable communication, and leads to rapid learning and consistent performance.
Let’s say we want our experienced dog to drop a disc at a distance of say 15 yards so he can go after the next disc that we would like to throw at him. This is a fairly common problem for many discdog teams, you might have had it yourself. For some reason they just don’t want to drop.
So our focus is on the drop. We need to ignore everything else and focus on that one behavior: the drop.
If we are working on a drop with our dog 15 yards away from us, we request the drop, as the dog is retrieving a previously caught disc. As soon as the dog drops that disc, positively mark the behavior (yes!) and shoot out a roller, or some other throw that requires a quick reaction by the dog. This throw is your dog’s reward; the game is exciting. That’s it.
Notice that there is no pressure for compliance. Everything is up to the dog. In order for the game to continue, he simply has to honor our request. If it takes 20 seconds for the dog to drop that disc, wait 20 seconds. If he is way out of position, ignore it and reward the drop. Just make sure that you get a positive mark on that drop and that the reward comes flying at the same time.
The time between the request and behavior will decrease as you work in this manner. The more clearly you communicate, the faster it happens. It is possible to get startling results in a no more than a few tosses, even with experienced dogs with a history of this problem.
The idea here is to get the dog to believe that his honoring of our requests is what makes the game fun. The dropping of the disc on command causes the game to get exciting.
Let’s say that you have a dog that does not retrieve well, and is always dropping it a few feet in front of you. This is a frustrating problem for many trainers, as the more pressure you put on the dog to bring you the disc, the less apt he is to actually bring it. The dog learns that interaction with the handler creates stress, and learns to avoid that situation. The disc gets dropped farther and farther from the handler.
There are many things that you can do to get a retrieve, but few people use the dog’s drive and the rules of cause and effect, a consequent game, to get the disc brought to their hand.
Here is how the consequent game can help you get the disc dropped right next to the handler.
What we want to do in this situation is predict the bad behavior and get it on command. As the dog is returning, wait until you know he is going to drop the disc. Just before he is going to drop, request an out. When he honors that request, mark the behavior (yes!) give him a quick roller or his favorite trick for a reward. Do this three or four times.
What you are doing is setting up the game. Drop when I ask and the game is fun. This doesn’t take long at all, if your timing and reward are both good.
So on the fifth try, don’t give the drop command, instead, jog backwards and watch your dog bring it to you. Your dog should get much closer to you with the disc, he might even make it all the way in. If you notice that he is going to drop, predict it, request it, mark and reward the behavior, and use it to keep the game moving.
We want to succeed just about every time so we can keep the dog engaged, but if we do happen to fail, and the dog drops early, we can use this too. Just make sure the game slows down and is boring for a few seconds. Make your dog go get the disc if he can do that. Predict the drop and start again.
If he makes it all the way in, don’t take it from him, tug on it real quick and let him win. Ask for the drop and wait. Reward the drop with more tugging, and start again. This will make having the disc right next to the handler, even sharing it with him or her a good thing.
Working like this will bring the drop closer to your body, and your dog will want to bring the disc to your hand in no time.
Rewarding predictable behaviors does several things for us as a handlers and as discdog teams. Most importantly, it keeps the dog’s attention focused and keeps the game alive. The team are having fun, and are functioning as a team. You are not telling your dog what to do, you are playing together. You are getting many repetitions of a desirable behavior, and are rewarding it, making it stronger and more consistent. You are also setting your expectations at a level where you and your dog will be successful.
There are several standard rewards with discs, but feel free to use what motivates your dog. I would resist mixing food treats and discs though, unless it is absolutely necessary. Save your treats for training tricks off the k9disc field.
A roller is a disc that is rolled along the ground like the wheel of a car. It bounces as it rolls, tends to trigger prey drive in most dogs. To throw a roller hold the disc in your hand like a normal backhand throw, but turn your palm up so the rim of the disc points to the ground and the sky. Flick the disc out about 5-10 feet in front of you, make sure to get it spinning well. The more spin the better and longer it will roll.
A Slider is a reward used mainly for high drive dogs. All have have to do is to slide the disc upside down on the ground at a distance of about 1-4 yards. We use it as a positioning tool to set our dogs a particular distance away from us for vaults, overs, or just whenever we need our dogs a few yards away. This helps greatly with the flow of a training session.
Tugging is a treat reward for discdogs. It does several things for us. It attaches prey drive to the biting of the disc; essentially a way of back chaining a catch. It also lends itself to back chaining a retrieve to the hand as the game often starts and stops with both dog and handler touching the disc.
Tugging allows us to get plenty of reps of biting the disc, dropping the disc, and retrieving to the hand. It is also very rewarding to most dogs. An added bonus of the tug is that it allows us to work on tricks in close proximity to our bodies. This is difficult with rollers and favorite throws.
Apply the rules of the Consequent Chain when you tug, and remember that a tug for reward should not only be a simple bite and release on the disc. Letting your dog win when tugging for reward can be a good thing, as we will discuss later.
Tugging is probably the only skill that allows our dogs to experience a reward right on top of the handler. Dogs gravitate to where the reward is, and without the tug as a reward in our toolbox, it's easy for our dogs to decide that they'd rather not hang out that close to us.
Three Rules of Tugging
The following 3 rules should be strictly followed when doing any tugging:
*Tugging incorrectly can damage your game. Please follow the rules.
Tugging can be used for:
Tugging
Sometimes we will want to break a game, and bring the excitement to a halt. Maybe our dog is blowing off a command, blowing off a disc, or otherwise doing something that is unacceptable. What we want to do in this situation is to break the game. Make a clear connection to the behavior, and drastically draw down the excitement level of the game.
Passive Break
A passive break is when we wait for the dog to disengage from the game. There is no pressure. The dog decides when this boring part of the game is over and when we can start to play again. This is good for times when a normally solid behavior is not done well, and when pressure could be a problem, or when reducing excitement might help your dog succeed. Retrieving to the hand comes to mind.
Active Break
Actively breaking the game is an option as well. Asking the dog lie down or sit, and wait. This forced break of the game is good for flagrant disobedience, habitual problems, frustration, or for dogs that are extremely driven and will not disengage from a game. You can also use an active break to build drive and suspense in order to get high energy performance.
Packing It In
Completely ending the game and ‘packing it in’ can be a viable tool for completely unacceptable behavior. Unrequested biting, habitual blowing off of discs, refusal to drop; all of these come to mind.
Packing it in is, to the high drive dog, a death sentence. It is a harsh punishment, and lessons are often learned quickly. Nothing is worse to some dogs than having a game of disc cut short.
Putting it all together
This is probably the most important reward in the Consequent Game. It is also the most complex. In essence, when your dog is honoring your request, the game is exciting, when your dog is not honoring your requests, create a lull or break in the game before you try again, or shift gears to something else entirely.
You control the excitement of the game. Create peaks and valleys within your game. Peak the excitement as a reward for good play, drop into an excitement valley for behavior that is not desireable. This simple act of manipulating the excitement level based upon performance can be very powerful.
Much of dog training is putting your dog into or keeping your dog out of behavioral ruts. k9disc is no different. Change things up frequently to keep the game exciting. Many dogs will grow bored with a set sequence, and you will have to work to get them to really shine within that sequence that is boring to them.
As handlers, we all need to be careful to not force repetitive failure on our dogs. Nothing will confuse a dog more than repetitive failure. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to switch things up when a behavior starts to fail. Move on to something else, and try again later. Of course you could opt to predict and reward the behavior, but the important thing is to stay away from repetitive failure.
Sometimes our dogs will lose focus on a trick, skill or behavior. Be flexible enough in your training and your game to react to this by giving the dog what it needs. If the excitement level has peaked, and the dog is too excited to perform, shift to something of a lower excitement level, and if the dog is bored, maybe a quick tug is in order for building excitement.
Many times, dogs don’t really understand that the object of the game is to catch the disc. New players with poor throwing skills teaching their dogs to catch can be a difficult and frustrating experience for both dog and handler. A simple fix for this that is nearly unmistakable communication for the dog is verbal praise and high animation for a catch, and silence for a miss. This works extremely well in teaching the dog the object of the game: catch discs!
Teaching through the consequent game requires that you focus on one skill at a time. If we are working on a retrieve to the hand, we are going to focus on retrieve to the hand. We will ignore pet peeve behaviors, or minor mistakes in other parts of the game in order to keep the game moving so we get the chance to make our dog believe that a retrieve to the hand is an exciting event.
Sticking to that plan is vital, but just as vital is knowing when to shift gears, and start working another plan. Poor performance and low excitement levels can be remedied by switching to something really fun for the dog, just as great performance and high energy can help lead dogs to success in things that may be more challenging for them.
The Consequent Game is the foundation of the Art of K9disc and will be referenced, discussed and built upon throughout this book.