Expanding the PVR

The way the Pawsitive Vybe Ribbon is constructed, our dogs are likely to mistake the PVR for a simple Go AroundAn Around, or a Go Around is the traditional disc dog set up move. The dog goes around the handler’s body in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion allowing dog and handler to.... If we look at the grayed out path that represents a typical PVR pattern, we can see that it’s quite close to a Go Around set up moveSet Up Moves are tricks that are used to establish timing and position in disc dog freestyle. Traditional tricks include: Around, Through, Backwards Through, and Scoot, but any or all of your tricks,....

We’re going to use Reward PlacementThe dog puts his face where the Cookie or the disc happens. Where you put the reward matters. Reward Placement is huge in disc dog freestyle. Your dog’s face will always wind up... to place value on an arc at a particular distance around the handler.

Choosing the Arc

Notice the grayed out circle. That’s the arc that we’re going to try to put our reinforcement on (throw the disc there). If we can get enough reps on that arc the dog will gravitate to that distance. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Let’s choose a 5-7 meter arc.

Setting the Arc

Once we’ve chosen the Arc, we’ll need to set it. So we have the PVR is set up after our dog drops. As the dog commits to the Consequent CueA cue that is given as a consequence for correct behavior is a Consequent Cue. In the game of disc dog freestyle, the consequent cue is extremely important. Dogs are reinforced by opportunity,..., we’re going to push a disc outside the dog’s line, on about a 45 degree angle to the side the dog is going.
The idea here is that we push them further out than normal. We then call the drop and toss the next disc out along the arc. Call the drop and repeat. Several reps of this and we’ll get a bit of breathing space on the regular PVR.

Left or Right Handed

We can work this in both directions, but most dogs will have a strong and a weak side. If our dog is stopping and reversing field on us, odds are that we’re running the dog in the wrong direction. It is possible to work through this, but we should avoid learning on the weak side.

Get Out Instead of Reward for Position

Expanding the PVR can be done by teaching a Get Out, agility style. We’ve not been working that here at PVybe because we’ve wanted to develop the Rewarding for PositionIn the Play+ philosophy, "Position" is the final stage within the "Next" phase of a Cycle of Play. It acts as a pivotal link between the "Next" phase and a new "Now" phase. methodology.