Swing to Heel

Swing to Heel is such a pretty behavior! We've been working on shaping this. Shaping means getting closer and closer approximations to the behavior we want. I had a friend who said she got a swing by using a stick to push the dog into place and I thought that sounded a little too coercive for my taste. I'd rather get it without forcing it.

I'm having to break it into a lot more steps than I thought would be needed when I initially started training. Then again, I know the goal behavior and the dog does not. We train in 2 - 3 minute increments a couple of times a day - keeping sessions short - which allows me to work with the other dogs in the small amounts of time that is available. When shaping, I cut the dog's food back by 30 to 50%. I use Natural Balance (available locally at Pet Pals and Aptos Feed) mixed with a variety of 4 or 5 other treats to reward the dog.

First the dogs are to put their 2 front feet on a low box or an air cushion. I click and treat when they sniff the box at first then put one paw on, then finally 2 paws. I'll throw a small crumb to get the dog to "reset" by going away from the box, then I will click them when they come back and put 2 paws on again. I repeat this for a couple of sessions. I want the dog to be sure of what is being clicked before I move on. All of this is done with very little talking. If the dog is unsure, I will praise them as I deliver the reward. If the dog doesn't get it, then I have to go backwards to lower my criteria or I have to break it down and make the task simpler. If I were to constantly correct the dog then the dog would get discouraged. I keep the reinforcement rate quite high to build the dog's confidence and to make sure they have a reinforcement history that will keep the learning curve going up.

I worked with Pilot's sister, Remi, on this step today. She has never done shaping and it was a new concept for her. She caught on relatively quickly but I ran the session a little too long and her ability to concentrate started waning. Note to self: Use kitchen timer when training.

In the second phase of training a swing we click for every small motion they make with their back feet. I do not want to have to use my body motion to get them to move, but it does jump start the process, especially if the dog has not done a lot of shaping before. If I step across with my outside foot I've found I need very little motion to influence the dog to move it's back feet. If I use motion, I know that I am pressuring the dog, the dog is not the one who is doing the thinking and the dog will become reliant on that movement to accomplish the task. My goal is to mimimize the movement and get rid of that prompt as quickly as I can. I found this stage went a little faster when I did some line-ups for regular heeling just prior to and after each training session.

In the third phase, once I have the motion down in one direction, after one or two training sessions, I start working the other direction. Pilot was much better in both directions than KK. KK goes well in the counter-clockwise direction (to heel position) than clockwise (to side position). One of the best reasons to work on this behavior is to improve coordination and proprioception in both directions.

I keep a training journal where I make a couple of lines of notes on each training session with drawings if needed. It helps me in planning the next session.

Each day I am getting more motion and Pilot's heel (left) and side (right) line-up positions without the training props has become much better as well.

I love watching the dog's figure it out. It takes patience to let them work it out for themselves, but it is sweet when they really learn the behavior!

Take a look at this video on training a swing. I think this pup has been working on this behvior for a couple of weeks. This pup is a student of Sylvia Trkman, a world class agility competitor who uses tricks to train her dogs body awareness, muscle development and pure fun! A friend who has a giant breed (over 100 lbs) and did not want her dog leaning against her leg as the dog does in the video. You'll have to make a decision about this part of the behavior for yourself. I asked Sylvia about it recently when I attended her workshop and she said she wanted her dogs to have the tactile sensation of touching her leg - then again her dogs are under 20 lbs.

All in all, it is very fun to see the dog's learning so quickly!