Focus Exercises Level 1-8 Presented by NuDogK-9.com

• Prerequisite- Not only focus but head set is of prime importance.
• Let’s go, around, sit, watch, READY
• You will use this forever/once established you will use it through your dog’s entire life.
• As you all know a dog is a strong creature of habit.
  • the lets go
  • around
  • sit
  • watch
  • will become ingrained in the dog as a very clear and positive cue to go into learned behavior.
• Keep in your mind Everything you do with your dog is training.
  • but what are you training them?
  • 

• Level 1 Focus Exercises.
  • We first must stack up.
    • Get a proper grip on leash.
    • Get 7 pieces of food in food hand.
      • You can use ether Left or right hand.
      • Use one piece of food to motivate the dog around the handler to the heel position do not pull on leash
        • A leash’s sole purpose is to apply a leash correction not to communicate to the dog.
          • This is the key to off leash control.
          • 
      • Do an around to get dog into a respectable heel position.
        • 1. Handler says “Let’s go” Not Heel.
        • 2. Dog and handler circle together using food, don’t pull
          • Use the food to motivate dog around the arch.
            • Handler circles around with dog in a clockwise manner to heel position.
            • About 3/5th of the way around circle say sit to the dog.
            • By the time your right foot stops moving the dog should be sitting.
              • If not correct
                • Apply a quick jerk and RELEASE of the leash associated with the sound NO! or Bhaa
              • If correct praise.
                • low tone, slow tempo, timed with the sit.

        • 3. About 3/5th of the way around the circle intone the sit COMMAND.
        • 4. By the time your right foot comes to a stop the dog should be sitting.
          • If not correct then re intone the sit command after about a heart beat.
            • If a very young pup or doesn’t have any idea of sit use food to get the sit.
            • If you are using the (log)
              • Use food to motivate pup up on log, some butt lifting may be necessary!
              • Once up on log allow pup a BRIEF look around and then Touch, base, ready, food.
              • Do not allow pup to jump off. Use leash tension if necessary.
              • Segments are the same as below.
              • The break high is different.
                • Don’t allow pup to jump off log (as in an attempt at flying)
                  • Instead tighten leash slightly and use food to direct the pup to step down, once down do a break high. (explanation follows)

      • You should be stacked up at this point and ready to start level 1 focus exercises. (L1FE)
        • (show diagram and Jimi) in basic (BASE) position.
        • If and when the dog looks away do touch, base, ready and food.
          • Touch-Touch dogs nose with the smelly food.
          • Base- get the food hand to base position.
            • As you make eye to eye contact, (coo to the dog)
              • (coo)- is a slow, soft tone, timed with eye contact.
                • The 3 (T’s) timing , tone, tempo.
          • Ready- You say “ready” as you slowly take food to pay off point.
            • (pay off point)-is a point in the center of your left leg slightly above dogs nose.
              • DO NOT take the food to the dog!! EVER!
                • Have the dog go to the food.
          • Food- after dog has eaten the food, manipulate the next piece to position
          • Then slowly return hand to base position.
            • Make sure on the return to base that the food is visible all the way up. (this uses the second piece of food).

        • Repeat 4 more times,
        • If the dog is NOT looking awayand is maintaining eye-to-eye count to 3-5 seconds maintaining the dogs eye contact.
        • Then reward when saying “ready” then present food in center line of left leg.
        • and do segment 3 to 5 as above. (doing 5 segments total)

• Then for the ending, it is BREAK HIGH!

Break high is a motion, which is the beginning of heeling.

• The handler’s physical motion is
  • A. Lunge forward with the left leg.
    • some use right leg as it opposes the left hand extension making for a more balanced handler.
  • B. Extend the food hand to its fullest reach of your arm. Keeping it in the center line of the left leg and slightly above the dog’s head.
  • C. While simultaneously intoning the sound “break.”
    • Please do not use “OK” for the release word!
• The dog’s motion should be
  • Briskly moving forward with their head up and turned to the right.
  • Then jumping the front end up about 2-3 inches, (a little hop up) dog gets the treat.
  • Praise for about 10 to 20 seconds. This part is often over looked and almost always to SHORT in duration. (time it)
  • The handler should be establishing social dominance during this time of praising.
• You have now completed the first 7 SEGMENTS, that equals 1 set, you will do five (5) sets of 7 segments
• 1/5/1 = a set.
• a set consists of 7 SEGMENTS
  • 1 piece of food for the stack up,
    • Uses first piece of food.
  • 5 pieces of food for the segments.
    • Uses the next 5 pieces of food.
  • 1 piece of food for the break high.
    • This uses the 7th and final piece of food.
      • Tell your students, “no matter what happens save the last piece of food for break high.”

• Do at least 5 sets a day but do not exceed 25 sets in a day.A white paper by Roy Mashaney © 2021
• Presented to the Instructors and class assistants at P.O.T.C. “Peoria Obedience Training Club.” on May 29 2021.