DiscDog Puppy Bitework | Function

BiteworkBitework is an activity or a game that consists of biting and dropping a toy on cue. Cued Bites and cued Drops (and Gives) can be used to teach and reinforce many behaviors.... is a tremendous exercise for teaching dogs to play disc. Bite, Drop, GiveThe Give is a retrieve to the hand. A cued Give is a foundational skill that is not super useful in the actual performance of disc dog freestyle, and has huge applications for..., DriveDrive is focus and energy applied towards work. There are many kinds of Drive: social drive, tracking drive, prey drive, bite/kill, stalking, and food to name a few. Social drive, prey drive, and... Management, Patience, 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., and catching can all be taught and reinforced using a thoughtful game of Bitework. Ron & Wham! work some Bitework and demonstrate some of the basic functions of the game.

Bite Criteria = Removal From the Hand

The criteria for a cued Bite is NOT “teeth on”. Teeth on as a criteria will create a perforating bite where the teeth clamp down and immediately open up to get the “cookie” or the next Bite.

Teeth on as a criteria leads to the dog not wanting to bite or not understanding the bite and frustration for dog and handler around the Bite behavior. This cannot be stressed enough. “My dog doesn’t like to tug,” is almost always a problem of the “teeth on” criteria.

The criteria you want is “TakeA Take is a cued Bite that replicates the placement and timing of a throw. Usually used with overs, vaults, and flips, the Take is a powerful teaching tool for creating habitual leaping... It” or removal from the hand. This criteria creates a desire to possess the disc and an understanding that the disc must be taken from the handler. This criteria leads to a vigorous tug and a strong, confident Bite.

Removal from the Hand as the criteria is a backchain of the tugging behavior. Once the dog gets this, tugging is confident and vigorous. This criteria and backchain is critical to shaping a weak bite into a vigorous tug.

Marking and the Regrab for a Reason to Hold

Marking the removal from the hand often creates an immediate drop. This expected behavior is easily countered with a RegrabA Regrab of the disc while your dog is carrying it gives him or her a reason to carry the disc and bring it close to you. Often employed in Bitework, the Regrab... and is easily sidestepped if the the dog already has a vigorous bite by not marking.

If the dog does not yet have a vigorous bite or needs more understanding of the cued Bite, simply do both, and use the Regrab of the disc as the cookie for successful Biting.

A Regrab can be thought of as a Re-Bite and can be used to create a very high rate of reinforcement (CPMCPM means cookies per minute. It is a fun expression for rate of reinforcement, a very important dog training concept. CPM should be between 15 to 30 CPM when learning or adding value... – Cookies Per Minute) and will reinforce both the Bite and the Hold.

The Cued Drop

The Cued DropA cued Drop, or Drop for short, means that you tell your dog when to drop, purposefully, and upon your discretion. A cued Drop is a must in the game of disc in... always leads to a Bite or the Next"Next" encapsulates the dog's anticipation of a forthcoming reward, sparking motivation and excitement. This expectancy creates a driving force that propels the dog through training, forming a continuous loop of engagement. When "Next"... action. If you always cue the Drop and always reinforce it, the cued Drop quickly becomes a secondary reinforcer.

Turning the cued Drop into a secondary reinforcer means that the dog will hold the disc in order to make Next or the next Bite happen. This is an extremely powerful backchain that dramatically simplifies the installation of the basic disc dog mechanics of Bite, Drop, and Give.

The only thing your dog will do more than Drop, if you are lucky is catch – and that only happens if you go dropless in your freestyle round or training session. Using the cued Drop as a secondary reinforcer and as a launching pad and requirement for Next gives both the dog and handler great power over successful play.

Employ the Regrab to set up a successful Cued Drop.

Reinforcing with Action

The Next movement, or the presentation of the disc as a lure can be used as a cookie to reinforce behaviors, especially the cued Drop. This non-discrete reinforcement is great for turning behaviors and the act of working into secondary reinforcers.

Just be sure that you are offering the Next thing as a cookie or opportunity and that you are not telling the dog to do something or asking for another behavior. This is a simple idea that has to do with the intent of the handler and the manner in which the Next behavior is cued or triggered. The video, I think, demonstrates this quite clearly.