>>Message Sent by: Helix Fairweather I have now lost the mail from someone (I thought it was a fellow Hav owner) who wanted me to write out how I train weave poles with a clicker, nor can I remember which list the request came from. Therefore I'll post this to a couple list, hoping the right person reads it. There are, of course, many ways to shape weave poles. I've taken what I've learned from the lists about shaping in general, Karen Pryor's original post about it, and things I learned in Susan Garrett's workshop and blended them all together in one process. As with anything the rate of reinforcement and success rate should be tracked so that an informed decision can be made as to when to raise criteria. I'm only listing the criteria I used. H = Handler Setup 6 poles (or more, doesn't matter) in one single row o o o o o o <----------- H --------> Handler anywhere, walking around is OK too (but refrain from using your body to be a sneaky kind of lure/guide <BG>) * click for any and all manner of interaction with the poles - looking at, stepping towards first, then nose bonking, pawing, biting, pushing, brushing against, walking  between, whatever the dog comes up with, click it all goal: build a love affair with those poles those poles are the greatest thing in the universe I always get cookies by those poles * gradually begin to stop clicking for behaviors (this is very similar to Shirley Chong's diagram on the Retrieve Lessons). Stop clicking the least relevant behavior first, say, pawing; then stop clicking the next least relevant * finally the one thing you are clicking for is any movement across the center of the row of poles - skillfull delivery of the treat will soon lead to a dog bending his body just after crossing the center * now you no longer click for merely crossing the center of the row, but click for crossing and turning. Doesnt' matter which direction, which pole * now you are clicking for going around a pole, any pole, any way into it, even the end pole dog is saying : oh? this gets you to click. What about this?  and this? hey, how about this? this too? and this one?  This stage is a dance, keep those click/treats coming!! Have him dancin' all over the place. There's no hurry to get to correct entry or going around more than one pole or anything. In this stage you are building the concept of going around a pole. Get that good and solid before you raise criteria. Setup is three poles only, handler facing poles o o o  H * click for going around any pole just as you did before this step. Now stop clicking for going around an end pole. All that's left is to go around the middle pole - and that's what you are clicking for and that's what I'm calling a macaroni. o / o \ o By now you have whittled away all other behaviors and you are left with the single behavior of going around the center pole. This behavior will be repeated as a chain of behaviors, that, in this case, are all the same. * add the cue in the usual manner we add a cue (while the dog is doing it, then slightly sooner, then even sooner, then before the dog does it) - up until this point, the dog has been offering the behaviors with NO help from you (tsk tsk, now, no cheating! this is a shaping version of training weave poles!) * once the cue is added, add a fourth pole o / o \ o / o * now you have a 2 behavior-chain. I start off using the cue to indicate the dog is to go around pole #2, then again cue to go around #4. Very quickly I drop the second cue, using the cue to indicate do the whole set. * in separate sessions I will start working the set from the other side.  I'll have the dog on the opposite side from me, face him and the set of poles, cue the first opening, then be sure to click for the first time he turns *away* from me to go into the opening between #2 and #3. This can be a bit of a hard transition to make so take time to reinforce it a lot! Now as you add poles, one at a time, work alternating session with you on the same side as the dog and you on the opposite side. D o / o \ o / o o / o \ o / o D H H (You don't have to stand this close, that's just what I have to work with in ASCII) * add poles one at a time, raising criteria carefully, keepign at least 80% success rate. Once you get to 6, then you can begin varying the number of poles in a yo-yo fashion, gradually increasing the number. Example of number of poles in several sessions might be something like this: 5, 7, 6, 4, 6, 5, 8, 6, 7 Try to balance odd number and even number. Trials are usually an even number but there are odd numbers thrown in at the higher levels. Might as well have a dog be 'conversant' in odd or even. What's the difference you say? The difference is whether he exits towards you or not. A dog started on your left on an even number of poles always exits away from you - and believe me! they figure that out and get used to it. Mix up even and odd. I like to walk backwards while working these chains early on. I like to SEE what's up and be ready to reward brilliance. Since you are building a chain, be sure to click for the pieces of the chain, not always clicking for the last macaroni. When he's a confident weaver, it's an easy bit to rotate around (gradually) and end up facing the correct direction. * add poles in this manner until you are at least at 12 (better to go beyond that) Work this until you can see the dog adapting easily to any number of poles you set up. The job is weave them all until there are no more in the row. Changing the number makes that clear. Work this wtih speed, letting go of accuracy. My cue up until now has been 'weave' and a hand signal pointing to the correct entry. Once you have a dog weaving 6 to 12 poles with enthusiasm and speed, drop back and work on correct entry. I start, again, with three and work with offered behavior of a macaroni - no cue - letting the dog figure it out - click for the correct entry, no click (or an NRM) for the incorrect. Now there are many more criteria to be worked on: Angle of entry, left or right sent to the weaves from some distance sent from a distance at any angle Call (yes, indeedy, CALLED to the weaves) through call at any angle call from a distance call from a distance at any angle The whole magilla can be referred to as LEFT, RIGHT, CALL, SEND, WIDE - your dog shuld be able to be sent to, on the left or right side, from a distance or called through, on the left or right side, from a distance. This then becomes the 'real' part of the training. Getting a nice chain is the easy part. <BG> THEN, you begin putting the weaves in context with other obstacles. Easiest criteria first, probably a jump after the weaves, then a jump before, then a jump before and one after. And on and on and on .... Just to make sure you don't think I'm a saint to have made it all the way through this - I have not. I am just now starting to work the CALL with Brady. I should have done it this thoroughly with her way back when but I didnt' really know then. I was happy with a nice smooth chain from both sides and settled for that, learning to send her from various angles on the fly.  Helix

Home