Duration comes in many forms in dog training. Down stays, calm holds, or a sustained sit pretty are what we normally think of when adding duration to behaviors. However, performing motion behaviors such as heeling or leg weaves are duration behaviors too.
For some dogs duration comes naturally. However, for others, every fraction of a second of duration is fought for over time. Some dogs are content waiting for the next cue, while others want to jump ahead and do the next behavior as quickly as possible. These dogs need different approaches, however the concept of duration remains the same: do the thing until I ask for another thing.
The other aspect of duration is the emotion and energy level that the dog is in while performing the behavior. Down stays require a different energy level than that of a heads up heel. Both are duration behaviors, however, the desired state of mind of our dog is vastly different. Sara will discuss how to create the optimal emotion in your behavior through the strategic use of reinforcement delivery.
Sara will also provide different methods of adding duration to your calm stationary behaviors and stays, including the Multiple Reward Stay and Reverse Luring. She will also talk about how to create duration in your motion behaviors as well through gradual fading of helper cues and decreasing rate of reinforcement.
So sit and stay! You’ll want to settle in for this presentation.
Presenter: Sara Brueske
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