Purpose: New to conditioning, and not sure where to start? THIS IS THE VIDEO FOR YOU! Meet the newest addition to the family… Mr. Ron Burgundy! He’s 10 weeks old, and just starting out! So if you have a baby puppy, or are just getting started with a dog of any age , this is a simple, safe, NON-DAUNTING place to begin!
This video shows the exercises that will form the foundation ALL other canine conditioning exercises are built upon, so take your time working on these skills.
Equipment: Balance Bar or Low foot target, Standing Platform, 2 Rubber Bowl or other raised foot target
Included exercises:
- Intro to treadmill 0:00
- Front foot target 0:20
- Rear foot target: Walking forward method 0:44
- Rear foot target: Walking backward method 1:22
- Turning on a Plank 1:49
- Front foot target to elevated perch 2:18
- Pivot 2:48
Targets: The exercises included here are the foundation exercises all conditioning progressions are built upon. The goal here is to introduce the pup to their own body with a high rate of reinforcement, and begin to build value to equipment/targeting/offering behaviors.
Watchpoints: If you watch closely, placement of reward, set up location of the props, and location of the tossed “reset” cookie all play a role in helping the puppy make the correct choice each time. In the beginning, I want a high rate of success. Later I will change my body positioning, delay reinforcement slightly, and ask the pup to make a CHOICE to execute correctly. But for right now, the setup mostly limits the available choices, so he can be “right” very easily. This builds motivation and makes this game the BEST.
Necessary Prerequisite Skills:
- Pup should be able to take a cookie from hand
- Follow a tossed cookie.
