Last week I showed the very beginning of asking Brito to heel for a ball reward. It was sloppy. He was happy. I was fine with that.
I allowed that until I felt he was very clear on the relationship between a tiny bit of work and receiving his toy, and then I decided to tighten things up. By adding a hand touch in heel position between the heeling behavior and his ball, he is motivated to stay in position. A hand touch where you want the dog’s nose is a simple way to bridge correct position and a non-food reinforcer. It also works when the reinforcers are no longer on your body.
This is his entire working session, unedited. Note the working stretches are short and he is highly successful. Good boy, Brito.
On another note, classes start at FDSA (Fenzi Dog Sports Academy) on Saturday, April 1st – get registered! At $65 for bronze and with 35 classes to choose from, there is something for you. Online learning is fun, effective and convenient; go ahead and jump in!
