In agility, the dog is often much faster than the handler, and there’s no way we can out-run them to get to all of the critical handling points on course. The simple solution to make course reading easy for your dog in this case, is to handle some sequences from a distance.

Learning to handle from a distance happens almost automatically when your dog knows how to perform the obstacles independently, and you know how to help your dog commit to the obstacles by using your movement and position to support the correct lines. Independent obstacle performance can be taught through strategic rewarding and through offering / shaping exercises.

Simply put, rewarding after obstacles will increase obstacle focus and rewarding from your hand, increases handler focus. This is the main thing to keep at the forefront of your mind when you are planning your rewards during a training session. So, to improve your dog’s independence on an obstacle, you want to reward on his line after the obstacle. This way, the dog is rewarded by the obstacle and has less need to look towards you for the reward as he completes the obstacle.

To decide how to reward your dog, you should consider what he needs help with (the entry, the exit, both?) and how much help he needs. It is important to watch the dog and adjust your rewarding based on what he is telling you.

This counts for all types of distance training. If, for example, you want to send your dog out to a line of jumps and she comes back into you after each obstacle - place a reward at the end of the sequence and break it down by back-chaining the obstacles. Each time your dog is successful, make it a bit harder by adding some more obstacles before she reaches the reward. A pre-placed reward is not limited to only toys, it could also consist of a treat hugger, a Treat and Train machine or a bowl of food for example. If possible, we recommend using an assistant to help get your dog excited about driving away from you down the line of obstacles.

Do you need help with distance handling or with planning your rewarding? Contact our customer support squad by clicking the chat bubble on our site or emailing support@oneminddogs.com