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to CyberHound Over the years that I have trained my dogs through open obedience work, I have found myself not completely satisfied with the training methods I was taught for the drop on recall. This exercise is usually taught in several stages, beginning with the moving drop on lead. This is usually taught by first assisting the dog into the down position while heeling. When the dog fully understands the moving drop at heel--with no help at all from the handler--he is usually ready to move on to the next phase. This involves multiple "comefore" exercises, having the dog drop right in front of the handler while the handler moves back and calls him in.
My dogs have always understood what I wanted from them during this part of training and have learned with confidence and a happy attitude. However, I have found that incorporating the moving drop into the formal recall exercise has created confusion and misunderstanding. In this article, I will cover another way of teaching the drop on recall by giving the dog a visual aid. This helps him make the connection between the drop command and the appropriate time and place where he is to respond. I learned about this phase of the drop on recall from an instructor, Nancy Strain, with whom I started training earlier this year. I have been so pleased with the results of this training method that I though others might benefit from it as well.
When the dog fully understands the moving drop, I introduce a 2" high jump board into the training. I start this by laying the board with its widest side on the ground. I have the dog standing right in front of the board as I reach down and pat the board and tell him, "Down." I help him down so that his front feet are very close to the board, but not on top of it.
After doing this a number of times, and when the dog starts to respond on his own without my helping him down, then I introduce the moving drop at heel right in front of the 2" board. Next, the board is incorporated into the "comefore" drop exercise. I make sure I know where the board is when I call the dog and then back up. I tell him, "Down," and help him down right in front of the board while I am on the other side of it facing him. After I am completely sure the dog understands these three phases of the drop and is comfortable with the board right in front of him when told to drop, I am ready to introduce the board into the recall.
I start by placing the board right in front of me with my toes almost touching it. I call the dog on a formal recall and when he is within a body-length of the board I tell him "down" in a very firm and commanding voice. If the dog doesn't drop or if he puts his feet on or over the board, I tell him "no" in a calm voice. Then, I take him by the collar and place him right in front of the board with his front feet almost touching it. I pat the board and tell him to down.
While he is lying there, I continue to pat the board and tell him, "Good," repeating the command down. I think it is important for the dog to lie there for a few moments with the board between us so that he can make the visual connection between where he is relative to the board and me. Then I repeat the recall until he does it right. Each time that the dog does it right, I go to him and pet, praise and reward him with a goody.
Each time the dog does it wrong, I tell him, "No," in a calm voice and put him where I want him, then praise and reward him. After the dog is doing the drop correctly each time during a couple of training sessions, I am ready to move the board a few inches away from me, toward the dog. Gradually I increase the distance of the board until I can put it anywhere between me and the dog and he will drop each time.
One important thing to remember is that if at any time the dog starts to act confused, simply back up to the point where he was doing it correctly and stay at that level for a few training sessions before you move on again. The beauty of using a visual aid is that you can show the dog exactly where he is to drop, thus teaching him to drop without creeping forward.
When I can place the board anywhere between me and the dog and he will consistently drop, then I am ready to change visual aids. The dog has become accustomed to the 2" jump board and is ready to have the size of his visual aid gradually reduced until it is eliminated altogether. I usually use a yard stick next, then a small dowel, and finally a string. By the time the dog will drop anywhere in front of the string, I am ready to eliminate the visual aid. If at any time the dog makes a mistake, I bring the visual aid back into training for a few sessions until he is doing it correctly again.
I have been amazed by how fast my dogs have been able to work through a "fall-apart" on this exercise since I started training the drop using a visual aid. The experienced trainer expects fall-aparts and has worked out, in advance, the most effective course of action to help the dog through them as quickly as possible. Trainers I have talked with over the years have verified that lasting problems usually result from inappropriate corrections. Most dogs will learn to dislike an exercise if they do not understand why they are being corrected. The drop on recall is one of these exercises where the dog easily becomes confused and makes mistakes at some point. Using the visual aid will help him gain his confidence back and understand why he is being corrected.