Target training

I am often asked, “How do I begin training my dog for Agility?” My first lesson for agility is always “Target”. Teaching your dog to go to a target, and stand on it will be very useful in the agility ring for all your contact obstacles. Target is easy to teach if you have already “Loaded” the clicker, and have reviewed the basics of using the clicker. You will also need to have a high-value treat.

The best way to target train is through “Shaping”. This is allowing your dog to “Self Discover” what it is you are trying to teach them. In this case, we want the dog to put their feet onto a target. I’m using a small rubber disk for my puppy to place her feet on. The below video is of Lola’s very first training sessions for targeting. I will add more videos of her targeting over the next several days showing her progression. Each dog will progress at a different pace. Don’t be discouraged if your dog doesn’t progress as fast as the video. The important part is to have patents and be consistent.

When starting out I like to toss the target onto the ground to give the dog a chance to be curious. Sometimes this works, as you see in the video, Lola was more interested in the treats I had in my pouch. I didn’t let that deter us. I did do a lot of “luring” with her, part of my reasoning was due to the limited space I had, plus she was so focused on my treat pouch I used that behavior to help me shape her.

Any time her foot touches the target I try and click treat her. There are times I also will click treat just for looking at the target. I want her to be rewarded for having an interest in the target. Whether her foot touches the target by accident or on purpose I click and treat. Even when she gets distracted by seeing her ball, I treat for her foot touching the target. As time goes on, over the next several lessons, I will demand more of her, but when I start each lesson I will always “back up” the training to go back over what we did in the last lesson, then build on her skills during the current lesson.  So on this first lesson were building the basics that we will continue to use in further lessons.

My goal before moving on to the next exercise in her training will be for her to go to her target no matter where I place it, on command. Once she does that, I can move on to the next skill I will train.

Lola’s second lesson is now available.