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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.

Whether or not you build and work a complete routine, or if you prefer a modular routine building regminent, sequences are the building blocks of Discdog routines.Sequences are simply several tricks linked together, but it's important to note that a sequence should be greater than the sum of it's parts. A good sequence becomes something more than tricks linked together. Several good sequences can create a world class player.A couple of great sequences can create World Champions. Read on for a little more about creating sequences.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.