Ok, so for those of you who free shape, would anyone be willing to detail the process a little bit? How many poles do you start with? Any other tips? I think this might be a good method for us as Keeva is an excellent free shaper.
Here's how we did it with Gusto. I did the same basic technique with Meg, but made things a little easier for her, because she isn't as strong a free-shaper as Gusto and quits very quickly if she isn't right. I refer to it as free-shaping since I don't lure, but treat placement is a big part of it.
We started with 6 poles, upright and in line, just like you'd do them with an advanced dog. I stood a ways to the right of the second pole. Click the first few times for any interaction with the poles. I'd click and toss the treat behind me, so I was basically lining him up for the correct entry.
As soon as he realized the game involved the poles, I moved closer, so my left foot was almost touching the second pole. Basically making it so the correct entry is open and the easiest route to my side. Clicking as he made the entry, and being very careful to click *when his head was pointed away from me*, not as he was turning to look at me. Click the moment that his head was down, pointed away, and moving past the second pole. Then I'd move a step forward, and reward from my left hand between poles 2 and 3. So he's making the entry, getting clicked as he wraps around the second pole, getting the treat as he moves his feet back to me between poles 2 and 3. Then I'd throw another treat behind me and repeat.
Once he was consistently doing that (with Gusto, probably less than 4 minutes from the very start to the point where he had that), after the first treat between poles 2 and 3, I'd step forward again so I was in line with pole 4, and wait for him to move through that next entry. Same thing - click when his head was down and turned away from me, reward between the next two poles. Within that first 10 minute or so session, he was bopping through all six poles, with a reward between each set. I've heard that referred to as "macaronis". I'd go one way, then turn around and go back the other way on the same side, so he got used to both sides. With the poles on your right, you line your feet up with pole 1, again so the correct entry is the route to you.
By the end of the second session, I could occasionally "forget" the treat between two sets of poles, so he had to weave 2 before getting a reward. The video posted above was, as I said, probably session 6. So he was fairly comfortably and reliably doing 6 poles with a thrown reward at the end. If it is decent weather Thursday, I'm going to try to have someone at practice tape his poles for me. I'm ridiculously proud of them.
The timing of the click/placement of the reward is the biggest thing with this method. Handlers with bad timing will inadvertently teach the dog to look at them in the poles. Watch where the head is when you click (down and pointed away), and I always throw the last reward so they are driving forward out of the poles.
I've seen a lot of different methods work with a lot of different dogs. I don't think there is ever one right or wrong answer for how to train the poles. This one has worked great for my two dogs, and a bunch of the dogs I've trained with. I've seen 2x2 work great as well, channels, and one of the most reliable weavers I know was trained with gates. Whatever works best for you and your dog will be good.
opcorn:
