Alex Robinson Performance Dog Training

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14/05/2025

To make a long story short: if your dog doesn’t give a s**t about the reinforcement you have on offer; you’re not going to magically inspire the hardcore drive you want your dog to work with!

The energy your dog gives you in exchange for access to reinforcement(what they find reinforcing, not what you think they should love most) is the MAXIMUM energetic output you will be able to achieve for your trained behaviours.

The main problem my students and any prospective students come to me with is lack of engagement and drive.

Most often both are lacking because the person either dispenses treats/toys/pats without connecting with their dog/giving anything energetic in return, OR the person isn’t using something the dog is willing to exert energy for in exchange for access to the reinforcement.

To put it bluntly if your dog doesn’t barge its way through whatever you put in front of it to get food out of your hand or to launch at the toy (or gain access to whatever is most reinforcing), you won’t magically inspire your dog to strut in heelwork, or sprint to you on a recall.

The one caveat is a working dog with instrinsic motivation to work, where the act of doing is self reinforcing. Through applied value transfer of something your dog gives a s**t about you can create self reinforcing behaviours - however this isn’t true instrinsic motivation for work.

I will now explain the below video:

I am working on Miso’s default state of mind/body in the conext of work. I have given her time to mature to determine how much energy I needed to add to her natural state. Now that she has matured, I am confident I am not going to create a nuclear explosion by adding more energy into the picture. Fashion, her half sister, on the other hand I will not put as much energy in because she doesn’t need it. So please determine who your dog is, before racing off to play around with this train of thought.

In the context of work I would like Miso to offer a default exertion of energy to gain access to reinforcement. This means she is offering the aforementioned without being directly cued or cheerleading.

The rationale is heelwork isn’t something that lights her world on fire. Now that she is more mature, I can confidently add energy to my obedience picture knowing I’m not going to create a nuclear explosion and have to manage over arousal and leaking of drive in the context of heelwork. IF I did this same training in the context of agility/retrieving/scent I would create a nuclear disaster.

You have all seen Miso do her heelwork foundation exercises, she gives me enough, I just want more/need more for the type of heelwork I want to showcase competitively.

I am addressing the level of intensity/amount of energy she offers out of the context of heelwork. While she enjoys the reinforcement on offer she did not naturally bust her gut to gain access to them in the context of things she doesn’t find naturally rewarding.

In the video while I am walking backwards, I am keeping two things consistent with heelwork handling - no cheerleading AND maintaining the same internal energy level I handle heelwork with. So these two things become a cue for her to exert herself.

This is quite a few sessions into the process so I am now pushing the length of time she is exerting effort for (jumping, moving with a pep in her step), and working on the default part, in that after a behaviour she has to maintain energy, before I give her access to her higher motivators - tug and me running.

IMPORTANT: if your dog is naturally off its rockers you need to shape a more collected/controlled state of mind to gain access to reinforcement.

02/04/2025

If you ask hard enough questions in training, you will figure out the holes without having to trial your dog.

Whilst there are lessons that as a handler you can only learn by trialling. I refute the notion that you have to compete in a trial to know where your dog is at. Because if you ask hard enough questions in training, you will uncover holes.

For context distance control is always the last exercise in Test C, by the end of the run, a lot of dogs simply aren’t fit enough to begin with, but then they’ve run out of drive to do the do the exercise. This is why I use physical fatigue as a proofing pressure especially here.

At first glance it may not look like I’m asking any questions of Sushi. However, this was at the end of the second training session, with both sessions being physically really demanding. The second session was a gut buster with heelwork, I think we spent twenty minutes there. Then I did sendaways, with retrieve games as her reward. I really wanted to push her physically so she was digging deep in her distance control.

First hole this proofing pressure uncovers is that Sushi appears to anticipate the next position. Since it’s not my first rodeo, I know what’s going on and it’s quite novel. She knew I was thinking about what position to give her and then started to hit that position. I had to give her a different position to the one she committed to as to not “reward” it in the moment. This is something I could do in the moment to make sure she waited for the verbal cue.

Second hole is as the number of positions increase, forward movement creeps in. It’s marginal, but if you haven’t figured out, my standard/bar is very high! This could be two things, she’s physically fatigued so potentially doesn’t have the core strength to pull her hind end back enough with the number of positions under this amount of fatigue at present. OR she doesn’t have enough value for holding criteria for this number of positions under fatigue.

I personally believe it’s the latter. As after I told her to “beep” scoot backwards in the down, which is a self rewarding behaviour and reinforces focusing back. She was able to then maintain criteria of no forward movement with two positions that require a lot of commitment to moving backwards.

The first hole will be fixed by ensuring I build value to hold position longer before I either reward, or give the next position. I also need to think the position AND OR open my mouth without saying anything and reward for stillness (not anticipating).

The second hole will be fixed over time through more exposure to this level of pressure and success. Plus increasing the number of positions she can successful execute whilst maintaining stillness/distance criteria in a session free of physical fatigue pressure.

I wouldn’t have found either of those holes until I trailed her IF I didn’t expose her to this level of pressure in training.

Aside from the aforementioned points; an important key take home message I want to impart you with, is that your dog won’t learn to be strong enough in character to hold up to trial pressure if you don’t develop a training programme where you build your dog up to being able to be asked hard enough questions.

I do need to stress you DO NOT put your dog under this much pressure unless the behaviour is “well trained”. That is a sure fire way to erode confidence and trust in your relationship.

I know that if Sushi can execute at least double the amount of positions she will need to in the ring under more pressure than she will experience in the ring, she will achieve full points more often than not for this exercise!

Training should be harder than competition ever will be. Competition should be easy in terms of difficulty level for your dog!

I am finishing writing step by step instructions for a free online course that I am working on… Any guesses on the topic...
28/03/2025

I am finishing writing step by step instructions for a free online course that I am working on… Any guesses on the topic? The correct (or closest guess) wins a free handler spot!

27/03/2025

This is an update of where we are at with distance control // position changes.

Apologies i dont have the brain capacity to make this flow! But there are some important points in here!

In the New Zealand system, distance control asks for 6 position changes, starting in either sit, down, or stand - the positions asked are at the judges discretion and must fulfil some criteria that I can’t recite.

Most of my training videos I’ve posted have included a prop of some description. Truthfully, they’re not my first port of call, they’re used to enhance understanding and not to become a crutch. I found with Sushi it helped her learn hold position rather than focusing on moving backwards.

Incidentally without a prop, Sushi understands her job is to not move, and she has gotten very serious about that job. This will improve with repetition, she’ll realise she can do it and have fun at the same time. I loathe to try add drive in, as once her natural confidence is restored, for lack of better description I’ll be fu**ed! I’ll have created a monster.

Anyhow, the reason I’m sharing is, I have entered trial prep with Sushi, I ensure that my dogs see competition exercises under fatigue - not large amounts of heelwork or anything that could result in injury.

This lot of distance control was at the end of a big training session, that included a lot of running around. I use physical fatigue as a means of replicating some form of “ring stress”. When an exercise enters trial prep stage in training, I am no longer teaching the exercise, I am making sure it can hold up in competition. Training sessions for trial prep SHOULD be harder than competition in terms of what you ask from your dog. I need to make it clear, you’re not setting your dog up for failure. You’re systematically asking harder yet achievable questions of your dog. Therefore, competition day and your actual “run” should be the EASIEST picture of any competition exercises your dog sees!

I truly believe most people struggle with distance control in the ring because they do not ask hard enough questions in training.

In the context of the trial prep, it’s interesting that her first position always results in an inch or two of forward movement. Then the rest stay still or on the spot. This could be because in a more formal set up, she is expecting a release forward.

The other reason I shared this video, is at the end she didn’t nail her walk back cue, she did something weird. I get asked what I do with failure all the time. This is an example of it. I just keep going and try s**t. I don’t take it to heart and just see if I can get it to happen. Nothing I do in that moment is going to fix it. In this direct context, It’s just information for later that under fatigue, at the end of the long sequence of positions her brain is frazzled and rightly so!

05/03/2025

I am findings ways to build muscle memory into Sushi’s distance control.

For the past couple of nights I have placed her on the edge of the deck.

A goal of mine is to eliminate the front foot movement, but she’s a fundamental happy feet dancer at heart (as evidenced by her little tippy tappy happy feet dance at the end). I have reduced the amount of movement a significant anount. There is a part of me that wonders if I will be taking something away from her by pursuing that goal?

Whilst it’s important to acknowledge that none of what we train our dogs to do is natural, I think something that is more important and shouldn’t be overlooked is who our dogs fundamentally are. If we honour who they are in how we train them, I truly believe we can build more joy into the work we do with them.

That was a little bit of a tangent!

26/02/2025

I am beyond thrilled with Fashions work ethic and what she brings to the table.

It’s important to expose your young dogs to duration as early as possible.

This is to prevent getting stuck with a dog who only tries for a certain number of steps or seconds.

Part of it is allowing your puppy to fix their own mistakes. Fashion pops off the hand target twice to go “um have you forgotten about my reward??

It’s important to allow them to fix their own mistakes, and not make it better for them. Admittedly here I should have rewarded a few seconds after the first pop off. I only ever reward the instant choice a handful of times with any dog so they don’t think their job is to look away and reengage. I always wait a few seconds at least after they’ve fixed their mistake before rewarding.

The multiple pop offs is also information that I have become too predictable in my reward pattern. I need to load value for 7, 9, 11, and 13 seconds before rewarding. Then it will be easier to build duration.

24/02/2025

I thought it would be beneficial for people to see Sushi’s warmup for heelwork last Wednesday. EDIT: This doesn’t include her physical warmup before entering the building.

My training objective was to expose Sushi to 2-2.5 minutes worth of heelwork. When a dog puts as much effort into their gait as Sushi, each step is sacred and has got to be worth something!

I first want to check that she is engaged with me and the one bringing the energy to the session.

I do this by letting her offer engagement, and I reward any time I see her invest energy. I use spins and body wraps just to get her body moving in different directions.

I only move onto the hand touch when I’m satisfied that she is bringing energy.

The hand touch is then used for a few seconds to see that she is coordinated in her gait and I nearly always end on jumping hand touches, so that she is used to exerting herself at the end of anything heelwork related. If she gets into the habit of exerting herself at the end in this way, she will naturally bring more energy towards the end of the pattern.

I do another rep of hand touch purely to check that she is building into the session. I stop in a freeze frame - albeit failed attempt - and then ask for an exertion of energy. I don’t worry that it failed because this plants the idea in her mind that she has to still focus on holding position and not just floating off into the abyss.

My main message in sharing this, is that the majority of dogs do not need to see screeds and screeds of heelwork before you go in the competition ring. If youve done your training, you need to trust your training and save your dogs battery for the ring! Often the best heelwork most dogs offer is the first couple of minutes and I see it time and time again being used up before the team even steps foot in the ring!

Your warm up shouldn’t be training! It should be making sure your dog is in the right mindset and good to go!

23/02/2025

Distance control/signals/position changes - the key to success in these exercises is focus on the transition between positions and not the end position.

Sushi nailed the brief in her down to sit and sit to down transition!

18/02/2025

I teach the hand touch to teach my dogs the concept of duration without praise in the actual performance of the behaviour or not to be reliant on a food lure. I have modified it with Fashion in that she is targeting a piece of card in my hand - there is no food on it! I will progressively make this card smaller, so I can make it more precise.

I wanted to expose Fashion to more than just one straight and I’m thrilled with her work ethic. The reason for this, is with puppies and young dogs we can get them into the habit of only doing one straight or a set number of steps. Then it becomes hard to get more out of them as they go well we only do x amount because they anticipate the release.

Aside from duration, I also want to build the right emotion into her heelwork. I want her to feel amazing and like a million bucks when she is doing heelwork. That is why I forgive a bit of a messy gait - I’m really more focused on her feelings around heelwork, rather than perfection.

In the video in the last straight I think I get a bit excited that she is still there driving and throwing herself into it, and I clip up a notch speed wise and contribute to the spontaneous combustion that is occurring beside me.

There are so many concepts in heelwork that your dog needs to have mastery over to be successful. It’s impossible, and more importantly, it’s OK, to only focus on one or two concepts per session… scratch that, heck it’s actually the best thing you can do as a trainer!!

Tomorrow I may focus on rhythm of gait, and really emphasise that I want a trot, rather than a spontaneous combustion upwards - however if you want your puppy to work for a duration of time, the combustion will get you those first few reps!

I do a maximum of 3 repetitions a session, every few days, or may do it a few of days in a row and then leave it alone for a week or so. There is a difference between training a skill and building emotions than getting something ring ready. I want to leave the session with Fashion wanting to do more.

Anyways, I am really excited by this puppy! Not bad for 4.5 months old!

Truth 🐶🎓❤️
15/02/2025

Truth 🐶🎓❤️

11/02/2025

Part of getting competition ready is building your dogs ability to perform under duress.

Now that Sushi has a base layer of heelwork fitness. I am going to start pushing her ability to exert herself under some controlled fatigue.

At the end of an intense sprint based session, I set Sushi up to offer one straight of heelwork. I am just after a moment where she pushes through and gives me a bit more.

I never ask for much in these sessions, just one single exertion of effort in the context of heelwork. This will build the belief that she can push and try.

In the video, I accidentally ask for a little too much… she lowers her lift a little. This is where I trust my training that she can pick herself up and try unprompted… Sure enough a stride later, she lifts in intensity. Sushi can be inclined to raise her left front higher than her right. To counter this, I try and time most my rewards with the left leg in the air.

The one caveat is that you can build too much dog and they bleed drive when everything is picture perfect (most dogs don’t need to worry about this though!!).

05/02/2025

First Wednesday of one on one lessons completed! Big thank you to everyone for being so teachable and willing to learn! We have our start points… let’s smash some goals!

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