04 Kvě Training to the limits of your dog
Once you have trained your dog long enough, have taught him all the exercises he needs to know, have patiently explained everything, and have then started preparing for a trial and fine-tuning the little details, you will start getting close to your dog’s limits. Every dog has limits, and they can be surprisingly varied and unexpected. The way you handle these limits, though, is very important as it can literally make or break your obedience routine.
Every dog is different
What kinds of limits are we talking about here? It can be all sorts of things:
- The speed at which your dog can run and fetch a dumbbell. There will be a limit to that as no dog can remotely approach the speed of light.
- The time your dog is able to concentrate in heeling. With some dogs, this limit is way beyond the duration of a trial. With others, it can be just a minute until they struggle even though you have taught them correctly.
- The height of a hurdle your dog can jump. With most dogs, this will be well beyond the standard meter-high hurdle, but if you are talking about a breed like a Jack Russell terrier, his limits may influence the kind of trial in which he will be able to attend.
- The duration of down under distraction your dog can sustain. Again, with most dogs, this will be well beyond the requirements of the trial. With others (I am looking at you, Archer!), this can be a problem.
- How fast your dog can change positions in ‘sit-down-stand.’ With proper training, some dogs can be lightning fast, yet others cannot be bothered even if you spend lots of time and effort teaching them.
- And on and on… I am sure you can think of numerous other limits a dog can have.
Just as we humans have our talents and limitations so have dogs. I, for example, could not draw a picture any more complex than a stick figure if my life depended on it. I can recognize about eight colors, and when recently asked if I liked petrol green on my new Instagram page, I honestly had no idea what it looked like. On the other hand, I can easily find patterns in a spreadsheet of numbers and have an excellent visual memory.
Archer, for the life of him, could not figure out heeling when he was young. We struggled with it well beyond him reaching two years old. He has never performed a very fast sit out of motion, and he will always ever so slightly bite into the dumbbell when sitting down in front of me after fetching it.
However, he was able to run blinds like an adult dog after just 1-2 months of training. Jumping over the meter hurdle was a breeze for him, and he can do so from any angle and under any circumstances. ‘Send away’ was his favorite exercise after his first try, and he always runs like hell.
Not every issue is really a problem
Everyone is good at something and is consequently not as good at something else. This applies to people and dogs alike. Now, the question is what should you do when you hit your dog’s limit? What should you do when it seems like your dog is not getting any faster in the send away? What if he just can’t seem to be able to hold his head upward during heeling long enough?
I am strongly convinced that the first thing you should do is think long and hard if one of your dog’s limitations is really such a problem, if it really needs solving. Let me explain with a short story.
This one time, a new client came to one of my training sessions, and they told me their dog had a problem with holding the dumbbell, explaining that he tends to bite it and can’t hold it calmly. I said, as I always say, “Show, don’t tell.” Then, I let them demonstrate.
The handler gave the dumbbell to the dog to hold, and the dog correctly held it. He held it for five seconds. Then another five seconds. Then another ten. I was so perplexed that I didn’t even say anything, not wanting to disturb the dog. After what must have been at least 30 seconds of holding still like a statue, the dog needed to take a deeper breath, and as he did, the dumbbell moved slightly between his teeth.
“You see?!” pointed out the handler. “See how he bit into it? What should I do about that?”
I had to ask twice if the handler was really concerned about their dog’s limit for holding a dumbbell being about 30 seconds.
“You do know that, in the trial, the dog holds the dumbbell for like three seconds, right?” was my question. “And yes, I usually recommend teaching them to hold it longer, for like 5-10 seconds, but not a freaking minute!”
The handler was just as perplexed as me and said it never occurred to them. They left the session overjoyed in knowing their dog can hold a dumbbell well.
This is a good example of a limit that is not exactly a limit. If I would push Archer to his heeling limits, I estimate that at the 15- to 20-minute mark would be when his concentration would likely start to waver a bit. I don’t care, though. The IGP 3 trial we are shooting for, all in all, is only like 8 minutes long.
Do not compare yourself to Leonardo da Vinci
So, not all limits are really a problem—including those that are maybe not as clear-cut as the duration of holding a dumbbell and heeling. Or how about the speed of the out-of-motion exercises or fetching?
Today’s problem is there are tons of videos online of dogs doing really, really well at any exercise you can imagine. Look up fetching, and you will see videos of dogs that are lightning-fast. You will see dogs who will ‘down’ so fast that you’ll miss it if you blink.
Handlers tend to forget that these are mostly dogs that are very, very talented at that particular exercise and that, on the video, you only see the one edited instance when they nailed it best. If you think it’s a problem your dog can’t down like the one in a video you saw on the internet, you should honestly think about why you can’t run as fast as Usain Bolt or sculpt like Leonardo da Vinci.
Not every dog can fly half a meter over a hurdle or be throwing up his legs while heeling. The point is that it is just not necessary. If your dog can perform the exercise to the trial standards, you are good to go. There is no need to be pushing him further.
If he is able and willing—and perhaps talented—at a particular exercise, go ahead and train further. Have flashy heelwork, fetch, or other exercises, but don’t despair if those are simply just good. You should be content with your dog’s performance being good enough to get an excellent grade at the trial even if it isn’t the most over-the-top version of an exercise like those found on the internet.
Risking the exercise for half a point
You see, the problem is if you push a dog past its limits, that’s when you get into the danger zone—and I am not even talking about pushing him there using force, corrections, or other such methods. If you clearly see he is doing what he can but you want better, you run the risk of ruining what you already have.
Take the out-of-motion exercises as an example. Many handlers strive to make them faster, so the dog performs the position instantly. And it is, of course, important for the dog to be assuming the positions fast anyway.
Let’s say, however, your dog—like my Archer—is struggling with ‘sit.’ He sits well, he understands the exercise, you can see he is trying, but it’s just not as fast as you would want it to be. Perhaps you are running the risk of losing one point or half a point at the trial due to the lack of speed.
Because of this risk, you start pushing him past that initial limit, researching some training methods, training often, trying out different approaches, and pestering him with the exercise all the time. There are two outcomes to this:
- Your dog might really be able to sit faster, overcoming any limitations he had before. Often, this is just temporary, but sometimes it sticks. In this scenario, success! You have saved that one point.
- The other, perhaps more likely, outcome is that your dog now does not enjoy the exercise at all. When he gets the notion that it is time to do sit out of motion, you can see he is nervous and he would much rather not do it at all. He may even start making mistakes and down instead. So, in an effort to save half a point, you lost 5 instead, along with your dog’s faith in the exercise and perhaps in you as a handler.
Pushing dogs past their limits and really sharpening their routines to a razor-sharp edge is something that top, world-class competitors have to be doing. One point at the world championship could easily mean the difference between first and fifth place. Therefore, these immensely talented and experienced handlers have to take those risks and do their best.
However, if you—like me—are not on that level, please consider your dog’s limits. Accept that you will lose a point here and there, but overall, your routine will look good and you will show off those exercises your dog is talented at accomplishing and can perform exceptionally.
I have my fingers crossed for you to get to the world championship level. At that point, you will have enough experience and knowledge, and you will know what to do. Be mindful and everything will work out.