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.