# Building Speedy Go-Outs



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I trained a bunch of stuff tonight with both dogs... and pulled out the little gate I use for go-out training. 

Bertie's go out -

*What I like about it:* He's very deliberate, focused, generally straight line to the spot where I put the target (binder clip), he always touches the clip and turns around and sits on command when I call sit. 

*What I'm not crazy about:* That deliberate thing? He's sometimes walking out to the target to touch it. This was a reason why I hesitated for the longest time teaching the sit, because I thought he would be highly likely to anticipate the sit call. I talked with my teacher and she indicated there are people out there who successfully train go-outs by having the dogs touch every single time and just call them to sit at matches and shows. So that's what I've been doing, but he's still sometimes meanders out there. >.< 

I'm thinking about going back to square one and setting up the go-out with cheese goo on the target and just doing that consistently until I have him running out there. And then reintroducing the sits down the road.

Any other ideas on how to fix this? 

Jacks was taught to go-out using a target plate on the floor. <- He knew when it wasn't there well before getting to the gate, so I switched to the binder clip on the gate. 

*** And there is no need for a quick fix since he is only 11 months old and has another year of training before I even think of showing him.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

He's still a baby, don't worry about the sit in there at all right now, just focus on the go out part. Practice the sit completely separately right now, and don't put it back into the go out for several, several months.

Make going out and touch worth it to him. What makes him light up and wiggle? A lot of times after Flip has initially touched I will start walking towards him, but as I'm walking I'll ask him a few more times to touch and praise each time, using the tone of my voice to get him more and more into it. By the time I've reached him he's usually gotten excited enough to knock the stanchion out of place. Then we have a big praise and play party. Occasionally I'll just toss a treat out to him instead of going out to him so he doesn't think it's bad if I stay in one spot.

You really want the dog excited about the thought of going out there. If its not something the dog finds naturally reinforcing, then it's the handler's job to find a way to make it that way for him. If its not something he _wants_ to do then the go out will deteriorate more and more over time.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

It's not he doesn't want to go out there necessarily..... he's one of those that has connected touching and going out and touching with being rewarded, so he repeatedly tries going out there to earn food. I have to lock him away when I'm doing go-outs with Jacks because every time I set Jack up, Bertie is marching up to the gate and trying to knock it over with his nose. 

He just doesn't have the idea to RUN out there. I think possibly because I never made it a requisite part of training him to hurry run out there. I just set him up to touch and focused on that. Sometimes I got speed. Sometimes not. I rewarded for both - and that caused the problem.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

@Megora- FWIW: I work a lot with driving to a stanchion/pole etc. I will even use light posts in parking lots, thin trees etc.

I almost always have something out there that they love!! Other times I follow then to reward. Faelan is probably sent back to his reward after sitting at least as often as he is sent to a jump. He still continues on to his reward probably 25% of the time.

Some things I use as the Go Out reward include: Dowels for retrieving, a fuzzy tug toy, a variety of special treats (today was a store bought tortellini salad, I use beef a roni, liverwurst, whipped cream and sometimes he gets sent to a bumper). Sometimes I follow him out and reward him with one of his udder toys for tugging.

Brady and Towhee do not sit at all as part of the go out yet. I am still working a nice tight turn & sit as well as a distant sit for both of them.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I do know Linda K. says that teaching speed is the single most exhausting thing she's ever trained. She says you have to be willing to address a lack of speed every single time, and if you let it go just once it can set everything you taught the dog back six months.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Loisiana said:


> I do know Linda K. says that teaching speed is the single most exhausting thing she's ever trained. She says you have to be willing to address a lack of speed every single time, and if you let it go just once it can set everything you taught the dog back six months.


That is definitely the truth. >.< *smacks forehead*

I'm going to play with high value motivators this week to see what works. I think cheese wiz works. But I may see about putting a piece of bread out there.


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