In our last podcast (Episode 119: Handling (Three Aspects of Agility Training Part 4)), we mentioned that after a handling mistake, we like to change the environment rather than our handling cues. By manipulating the the placement of reward, your dog can be successful while you preserve the consistency in your handling cues.
In the video below, Sarah works through an off course mistake with her 2 year old border collie Venture. Watch how she uses placement of reward to help him while keeping her cues the same. This kind of “on the job training” can be much more helpful to your dog’s understanding than yelling, slowing down, exaggerating your arm motions, or changing to a different handling maneuver altogether.
Love that on the job training with placement of reward! Great tip about not changing anything – I tend to try to over-manage the dog when she makes a mistake like that, instead of TRAINING it! Thanks!