expanding your dog's foundation skills
Building strong foundation behaviors is an investment that will demonstrate value throughout your dog’s training. For example, targeting is an essential foundation behavior that can be used to teach many useful and complex behaviors, such as guiding an animal to a particular place (into a kennel or onto a scale) or around objects—a foundation for many dog sports.
In this video, KPA CTP Jenny Efimova is using targeting to shape the behavior of going around a cone. She says, “Each time we try a new fitness exercise, I’m struck by how it’s the basics that always come through. Touching the nose to a stationary target and following a target are two fluent behaviors for Larkin and ones I’ve now applied in a myriad of situations. Building strong foundation behaviors matters!”
For more ideas about how to get started training your dog, check out our blogs and the Dog Trainer Foundations course! The Immersion version of the Dog Trainer Foundations course offers an even more personalized, structured learning experience plus five hours of coaching to help you get to the next step!
Happy Training!