Fundamentals

Starting to create sequences can be a very frustrating endeavor for both dog and handler. It's very common to see new players struggle through simple sequences doing damage to their established tricks and to their relationships with their dogs.

There are  a few simple rules to follow to help make creating sequences a smooth and successful process.

A Slider is a reward used mainly for high drive dogs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.